


Steps Through Time

by myrthrilmercury



Category: Chrono Trigger, Mystery Science Theater 3000
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst, Attempted Murder, Chekhov's Gun, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Epic, Family Drama, Friendship/Love, Impersonation, Loss of Parent(s), Magic, Magical Artifacts, Male-Female Friendship, Middle Ages, Mistaken Identity, Multi, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Regicide, Romantic Friendship, Suicide Attempt, Swords & Sorcery, Talking Animals, Time Travel, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Weapons of Mass Destruction, What Pride Had Wrought
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:59:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 29,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3721213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrthrilmercury/pseuds/myrthrilmercury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who knew that running into someone on the street could be the beginning of an adventure that could change the course of history?</p><p>Loosely crossed over with Chrono Trigger, this is where it all began, in the summer of 2001. </p><p>(I KNOW I'm missing some tags. Will add them as I go along.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first foray into MST3K fanfiction and slash, in the summer of 2001. I was 18 and spending it like I did any summer during high school: playing video games and binge watching Sailor Moon. While I was busy playing Chrono Trigger, I came up with this idea, and said to myself: "This is either going to be the best thing I've ever written or the absolute worst thing I've ever written." So, I decided to go all in.
> 
> Fourteen years later, I'd have definitely written this differently, and am embarrassed that I wrote certain parts, like the very ending (though, to be fair, I worked it into something I later wrote). All in all, though, I think the basic ideas, like how being marooned in space might leave someone very broken, still hold water. I vacillated between posting or not posting this, but considering how many people have complimented me on it, I'd probably be in more trouble if I DIDN'T post this.
> 
> Here it is, warts and all. Enjoy. Turn down your lights (where applicable).

A flock of seagulls soared over the Truce Inn as the sun rose over the Kingdom of Guardia. The sounds of balloons being launched from Leene Square were heard from a distance. A bell rang in the square. Inside the Truce Inn, Mike Nelson was attempting to get some sleep.

"MIKE!" Tom Servo shouted in Mike's ear. "Wake up!"

"It's too early," Mike groused as he rolled over.

"Come on, Mike!" Crow pleaded. "You promised us you'd take us to the Millennial Fair!"

"I know. But not this--"

"MIKE!" Servo cried. "MikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMike..."

"MikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMike..." Crow began.

Gypsy joined the chorus. "MikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMikeMike..."

"ALL RIGHT!!" Mike sat up and threw his hands up in defeat. "I need to get dressed. Gypsy, go down to the bar and get me a cup of coffee."

"Sure, Mike!" She walked to the door, and clamped her mouth around the doorknob to open it. She then headed downstairs.

"Tom and Crow, go get some donuts."

"Yay!" They walked--or, in Servo's case, hovered--out of the room.

"Cambot, you've got the most important job. Make sure Tom and Crow don't eat any of the donuts."

Cambot gave an affirmative gesture and left the room.

Mike jumped out of bed and pulled on an old Minnesota Vikings shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He slipped on combat boots before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Once he finished, he headed downstairs to the bar. Gypsy was at the bar, and Cambot was fighting with Crow and Tom over the donuts. 

Mike approached the bar. "Thanks, Gypsy." He took a sip of his coffee before heading over to Tom and Crow.

"Donuts are for people. You get RAM chips."

"Awww..." Crow groaned. 

"Oh, quit whining. Here you go." Mike dug into his pocket and pulled out some RAM chips. He motioned for Gypsy to come over, then threw them on the table.

***  
Joel Robinson was beginning another day at Guardia Castle. Joel's family had assumed that he had died, so they gave his assets to his brother Jim. He had nothing, so he took a job at the castle as a janitor. He didn't get much money, but he was able to live in the servants' quarters for free.

Joel wasn't sure what had happened. One minute he was on Earth, the next he was in Truce Village. All he knew was that he had to try to make a living.

He had the day off for the Millennial Fair. Unfortunately, Princess Nadia would use this as an excuse to escape from the castle.

Joel headed out the main doors. Nadia then ran down the stairs behind him.

"Can I come with you? Please, please, ple--"

"No," Joel told her in a gentle but firm manner. "Your father wants you to stay here."

"I don't care! I'm coming with you!"

"GUARDS!" Joel called. A bevy of guards came running to his rescue. "Take care of Princess Nadia."

"Yes, sir." One took her by the arm and escorted her away. 

_Spoiled brat,_ Joel thought to himself. He opened the castle doors, and was greeted by the sunshine.

***  
As Mike ate, he started thinking about the necklace he possessed. It was all he had left of his family. 

No. He couldn't think about this now, not when the `bots were so happy...

His thoughts shifted elsewhere. Whatever happened to that other test subject, Joel?

"Are you done, guys?" The bots nodded. "Let's go."

As they filed out of the bar, Mike was barraged with hyperactive chants of "YAY! We're going to the fair!"  
***  
Joel walked into Leene Square. Such a wonderful party...the `bots would love it. He missed them horribly.

Also, what about that guy Mike, who was imprisoned after him?

His answer came when Joel and Mike ran into each other. Mike's pendant went flying across the Square.

Mike pushed himself up, then stood up. Approaching Joel, he began to apologize profusely until he noticed his pendant was gone.

"My pendant! Don't tell me I've lost it!"

Joel pushed himself off the ground and stood up to search for the pendant. He found it lying on the cobblestone near a candy counter. He picked it up and handed it to Mike, who was walking around a tent looking for it.

"Thank you so much! That pendant has a lot of sentimental value!" He looked at Joel again, then did a double take. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

Joel studied Mike's features carefully. "I remember you, Mike. You took my place."

"Your name's Joel, right?"

Joel nodded. "It's nice to meet you finally. Where are the `bots? I haven't seen them in such a long time."

Mike looked around. "You're right. Where are they?"

The two headed down a flight of stairs and found the `bots at a soda guzzling booth. There were empty cans of soda all over the ground. Cherry Coke dribbled out of Crow's beak, and Gypsy had a soda can in her mouth. Cambot was looking away, pretending that the others didn't exist.

Mike sighed. "I told you guys not to go off alone."

"Hey, are these things yours?" the booth attendant asked. "The purple one was able to drink 11 cans in 45 seconds." Gypsy then demonstrated this ability by placing another can in her mouth and tilting back so the contents emptied into her.

Servo hovered over to the two humans. "Oh, hi Joel—JOEL!! Joel's here!" 

"JOEL!!" The `bots hurried over to the two. Joel gave Crow a big hug.

"I missed you guys so much!" Joel hugged each one of the `bots, who were pushing and shoving each other to get to him. "You guys have been behaving for Mike, right?"

"Um..." Servo began.

"That depends on what your definition of `behave' is," Crow stated.

The booth attendant looked at his watch. "That girl Lucca's device is all set up. The show is at the north end of the square."

"I promised Lucca I'd go watch," Joel said. "Let's go see."

"Ooh! Who's Lucca?" Servo teased.

Joel carried Servo up the stairs. Mike and the other bots were following him. "She's an inventor. She and her dad are really into science."

At the north end of Leene Square, two large platforms stood at opposite ends. Each was encompassed in a semicircle of glass. A large pair of machines stood between them. Wires snaked all over the cobblestone. The whole setup reminded Mike of "This Island Earth."

"Joel!" Lucca rushed over to the group. She was a slender girl of medium height, with purple hair that hung down underneath the hat she wore. She also had on a pair of Coke bottle glasses. "Nobody wants to try the Telepod!"

"I'll try it," Joel told her. "You and your dad can go get in position."

"Thanks, Joel! That's so nice of you! Just step onto the left platform." She ran to the machine next to the right platform. Her father, Taban, headed to the machine on the left.

"I'll be right back," Joel told the group before stepping onto the left platform. 

Taban flipped the switches on his machine. "All systems on!"

Lucca flipped the switches on hers. "Begin energy transfer!"

Joel vanished and transformed into several sparks of light. The sparks shot over to the right platform, then collected, making Joel reappear.

"Oh wow!" Gypsy cheered. "That was great!" 

"Wow, cool!" Mike yelled. "I want to try it, too!"

Joel stepped off the right platform. "By all means."

"Hey, are you sure about this?" Taban asked. "There's still time to change your mind!"

"No way!" Mike said. "Throw the switch!" He stepped up onto the left platform.

Taban took his position at the left machine. "All systems on!"

"Begin energy transfer!" Lucca ordered.

The machines gave out a loud whine as Mike's pendant began to sparkle. An unknown force sent Mike spinning in circles as rays of light shot out of the two machines.

"My pendant!" Mike cried. "It's--"

The pendant seemed to leap off his body as he began to levitate. He was dragged into the light between the machines. A large blue portal materialized behind him. It sucked him in, then vanished.

"What happened?!" Taban screamed. "Where is he?!"

Lucca examined the machines. "The way he disappeared couldn't have been caused by the Telepod!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Joel could see the pendant glimmering on the left platform. He stepped back up onto the platform and grabbed the pendant.

"Joel!" Lucca was shocked. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm going after him."

Taban turned to Lucca. "Won't they both be lost?"

"This is our only hope!" Lucca replied. She spoke to Joel again. "That pendant seems to be the key, so hang onto it, and brace yourself!"

Joel nodded. "Will you guys watch the `bots while I'm gone?"

"Sure," Lucca said as she rushed to the right machine.

Taban fiddled with the switches on the left machine. "All systems on!"

"Begin energy transfer!" Nothing was happening. "Power to full!" Lucca yelled.

"Roger!" Taban turned a few dials on his machine.

"More! Give me more power!" 

"Roger!" Taban played with the machine until rays of light shot out from both machines.

"There!" Lucca stated. "We did it!"

The blue portal materialized again. Joel was pulled into it.

"I'll follow you after I know what went wrong," Lucca told Joel. "Good luck!"

The portal closed. Joel was sent reeling through time and space. He clenched his eyes shut and gripped the pendant in his hands.

Joel was then deposited into a canyon. He looked around, bewildered by his new surroundings. Where the hell was he?

He didn't have time to think about that. Three small blue monsters made their way towards him.


	2. Chapter 2

Joel frantically searched for something to defend himself with. Two of the monsters were closing in, and the other stood throwing rocks. The majority of them were hitting Joel, leaving small red marks where they struck.

Finally, he located a hickory stick lying on the ground. Joel raised it and swung at one of the monsters with all his might. 

The other two monsters ran away from the sudden attack. The remaining one was knocked out by the impact. Joel continued out of the canyon, stick in hand. 

He headed into a nearby village. A large building with a sign reading "Truce Inn" stood on his left. On his right was a smaller building with a sign reading "Market."

Joel decided to enter the Truce Inn first. Maybe then he could get a clue as to his whereabouts.

"Hi!" A beautiful waitress greeted him at the door. "Sit wherever you like!" 

Joel took a seat at one of the tables. Instead of having chairs like the Truce Inn he remembered, it had wooden benches. He found this rather peculiar.

He observed his surroundings. The lamps here used gas instead of electricity, and the patrons were dressed in medieval clothing. The waitress he had met was wearing a Renaissance-style dress.

The waitress approached him again. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I was just wondering where I am."

"Are you a traveler?" she inquired.

"Something like that." 

"This is Truce Village, which lies within the Kingdom of Guardia."

Joel was beginning to put together the pieces. "Ruled by King Nigel VIII, right?"

"What are you saying?! Nigel is a prince! Our king is King Guardia XVI."

"If I may ask, what year is this?" Joel inquired.

"600."

That was what had happened. Joel had gone back in time 1,401 years. How could he find Mike in the distant past?

"Thank you." Joel stood up and left the Inn.

He then headed to the Market. A soldier in full armor stood inside.

"Are you fighting Magus' troops, son?"

"What?!"

"There's a war going on. Magus is the leader of the Mystic troops. They say he has unimaginable powers. Better get yourself a better weapon than that.”   
Considering the three monsters he had met when he was deposited into the canyon, Joel took the man’s advice and bought a sword. 

"How did Magus get all this power?"

"I don't know," the soldier replied. "It seems that someone named   
Forrester has harnessed the power of Lavos, though."

After rescuing Mike, both of them would have a score to settle.  
***  
Joel rushed through Guardia Forest until finally, he reached the Castle. He opened the large oak doors and entered.

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

Two soldiers glared suspiciously at Joel. "Are you one of Magus' troopers, son?"

"Hardly!" laughed the other. "This guy would never have made the cut!"

A loud voice came from the top of the stairs to the throne room. "Stop this at once!"

The three looked up to see Mike, who was dressed in a light blue jumpsuit and cape. A jeweled gold belt crossed his waist, and the sleeves of his jumpsuit and the bottom of his cape were embroidered with gold thread. Mike wore a pair of suede boots with rather high heels.

The soldiers knelt in reverence. "Prince Nigel!"

"Show your manners!" Mike barked. "He is a friend of mine!"

"But he looks suspicious!" one soldier objected.

Mike scowled. "Can't you follow orders?!"

"Pardon the delay. Please enter, Sir!" The soldier stood up and nervously backed away from Joel. Mike winked at Joel before heading into the throne room.

"Where is the Chancellor?!" The sight of the King and Queen having an argument greeted Joel. "He's been leaving the castle an awful lot lately."

"Dear, he keeps going to the cathedral," the Queen said in a soothing tone. "He must be a very devout man."

"Well, it still seems strange to--" The King noticed Joel in the doorway. "What do you want?!" he snapped indignantly.

"I was just wondering where M--uh, Prince Nigel went," Joel stammered.

"Oh, you must be that one guy he wanted to talk to. He's upstairs in his room."

"Thanks," Joel said quickly before heading for the stairs. The minute he began to ascend them, the King started screaming at his wife again.

Once Joel reached the top, he walked down the hallway. The castle attendants ignored him, even when he entered the room at the end of the hallway.

Inside, Mike was sitting on a feather bed. He looked up when he heard the doors open.

"Joel! Thank God you're here!" He slid off the bed and approached Joel, which was a very difficult task in the high-heeled boots he wore. "It's weird. Everyone calls me Nigel for some reason." 

The sparkle of Mike's jeweled belt reminded Joel he still had Mike's pendant. "I almost forgot," he said as he pulled the pendant out of his pocket. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Mike gently pulled the pendant out of Joel's hands. "I don't know what I would do if I lost this."

"Where did you get that?" Joel inquired. "Is it a family possession?"

Mike lowered his head. "It's all I have left of them."

"What do you mean?" Joel thought of his own family. Nothing he could do would make them welcome him back home.

Mike's voice trembled. "They're...they're all..."

"Look, if you don't want to talk about it--"

"...I'm the only one left. I...I went back to my old neighborhood after I came back to Earth. The whole street was blocked off, and everyone had been evacuated from their homes. I talked to somebody   
there, and they told me that my house had burned to the ground. Everybody was sleeping, and they couldn't get out in time..."

Joel put an arm around Mike. "I'm sorry I asked."

"No, it's OK. You're the first person I've told. I went to where my house used to be after the street was reopened, and I saw a bright red light coming from the ashes. I got a little closer to it and found the pendant."

Joel nodded. It was reassuring to know he wasn't the only one who had lost his family. "So you've kept it ever since."

Suddenly, the pendant began to glow. Mike screamed and doubled over in pain.

"I'm being torn apart!" Mike's skin then began to fade away. "Joel! Help me!" There was a flash of light, then Mike vanished into thin air.

Joel knelt down to look for any clues. The pendant was nowhere to be found. He then pushed himself off the floor and headed out of the room. He was determined to rescue Mike, not only for the `bots, but   
for his sake too. With what Mike had been through, he was probably the only person who could understand Joel's suffering.

"Joel!" He looked up to see Lucca running towards him. "Good, you're safe!" She collapsed onto the ground, panting. "Did you find that guy?"

Joel was at a loss for words. "He's gone."

"GONE?! What do you mean, he's gone!" Lucca regained her composure, then extended her hand to Joel, who helped her up. "Well then, it's exactly as I thought. I knew I recognized that pendant from   
somewhere."

"Have you seen it?" Joel asked.

"It's a treasure of the Guardia royal family. Prince Nigel had one just like it. Because of that, that guy might have been affected by what has happened to the Prince."

"Which is?" Joel asked with rising interest.

"Prince Nigel has been kidnapped. Someone was supposed to have rescued him, but history has somehow been changed. That guy bears a striking resemblance to the Prince, so the soldiers probably called off their search when they found him. But if the real Prince Nigel is killed..."

"Then Mike will die too." 

"Exactly. Whoever kidnapped Nigel is probably after the pendant. From what we saw in Leene Square, it seems that pendant allows its possessor to travel through time. Can you imagine what will happen if villains get ahold of it?"

"I've heard enough," Joel stated. "Let's go find Mike."

Lucca nodded, and they headed back down the stairs. The King and Queen were now speaking to one another in a civil tone.

"Has Nigel left the castle recently?" the Queen inquired.

The King paused. "Yes, he did go with the Chancellor to see the new cathedral..."

Lucca tapped Joel on the shoulder. "Let's go check it out."


	3. Chapter 3

Once Lucca and Joel exited the forest, the cathedral was only a stone's throw away. Inside, four nuns were sitting in the pews. The cathedral seemed normal enough. 

Joel then saw something on the ground. He knelt down to pick it up.

"What did you find?" Lucca asked. He handed the object over to her.

"Oh, a belt buckle." She examined the object and gasped. "That's Guardia's royal crest!"

Upon hearing this, the nuns rose from their pews and silently filed over to the two. Each drew a dagger from the sleeves of their habits.

"Joel! You have a sword, right? Use it!" Lucca pulled up her skirt and exposed the garter belt she was wearing. She had tucked an Uzi into one of the legs. "I can take care of myself." She pulled out the Uzi, cocked it, and began firing. 

One of the nuns swung her dagger at Joel. He responded by swinging his sword at her midsection. The blade slashed her across the stomach, and blood sprayed from the wound as the nun crashed to the   
floor.

Two shots from Lucca's Uzi killed the remaining nuns. "I knew it," she stated. "Something's going on here." She quickly scanned the cathedral before finding a pipe organ in the upper left corner.

As she rushed over to it, Joel casually glanced at his sword. He shuddered when he discovered the blade was covered with blood.

"You do realize you're supposed to wipe that off after every battle, don't you?" Lucca started banging on the keys of the organ. "I take it you're not accustomed to fighting."

"Not really," Joel admitted.

"You always seemed like a rather peaceful person to me. Don't worry. You'll be a warrior in no time." 

Lucca pressed down on one of the piano keys. A door materialized behind the altar.

Lucca motioned to Joel. "Let's go."  
***  
A complex labyrinth of hallways and doors sprawled out before the duo as they opened the door.

"I didn't think this was here," Joel said. "What do we do now?"

"That's easy," Lucca replied. "We beat the crap out of any bad guys we find and rescue Mike and Prince Nigel."

"Okay..." Joel hesitated. He had never even considered hurting another living thing. However, if he was to rescue Mike, there was no way around it. Joel acknowledged this fact with a nervous sigh. 

As quietly as they could, the two crept down the hallways, peering inside the keyholes of the doors as they went along. They came to a pair of doors with no lock on them.

"Let's try this room." Lucca pulled on one of the handles of the door. What she and Joel saw inside appalled both of them.

A man dressed in regal clothing stood over a stone tablet. A young man who looked like Mike was chained to the tablet. He clenched his eyes shut, trying not to see the sword the man was holding over his chest. Behind the two was the Chancellor of Guardia, hanging from a noose dangling from the ceiling.

"Prepare yourself, Prince Nigel," the man snarled. He jumped when he saw Joel and Lucca. "YOU! How did you get in here?!" He leapt over from behind the table and over to them. "It doesn't matter. I'll kill you both first."

Before Joel had a chance to draw his sword, the man produced a set of Oriental throwing knives from underneath his cape. With lightning fast speed, he threw them one by one at the pair. Lucca ducked as   
one flew straight at her. It bounced harmlessly off the wall behind her with a metallic clang.

Joel jumped away from one of the knives, but he wasn't fast enough. The blade swept past his upper left arm, tearing the clothing and leaving a jagged gash in his skin.

"This is pissing me off," Lucca muttered as she reached into her left pocket. She pulled out a grenade. After pulling the pin out, she threw it at the man. He ran from the grenade, which proceeded to blow a large hole into one of the walls.

As the man made his escape from the flying debris, Joel saw his opportunity. He drew his sword and rushed at him from behind. When he was close enough to strike, he swung the sword. It slashed the man's clothes before making contact with the skin. Joel's shirt was stained with the blood that came splashing out of the gaping hole. He hesitated as the man crashed to the floor.

"What are you doing?!" Lucca cried. "Kill him!"

Joel shook his head.

"Don't be such a baby! I'm not always going to be there to bail you out, you know."

Joel stood rooted to the ground. He tightened his grip against the sword's handle, but remained motionless.

"Come on! Mike needs your help!"

That was all the motivation Joel needed. He swung his arm forward, making another slice in the man's back. The man convulsed violently before he collapsed in a puddle of blood.

"Prince Nigel!" Lucca ran to the altar. "Are you all right?" 

The Prince remained silent. Lucca fiddled with the chains on the altar, then pulled them off the prisoner's limbs.

Prince Nigel broke his silence. "Thank you both so much. Please accompany me back to the castle."

Reluctantly, Joel pushed himself off the blood stained floor and walked with the others. His hands burned with the knowledge of what they had done.


	4. Chapter 4

"You had me worried, Nigel!" The Queen rushed over to her son and held him tightly.

"Thank you for rescuing Nigel," the King told Joel and Lucca. "We are forever in your debt."

"The only problem with all this is we no longer have a Chancellor," the Queen stated.

"That's not my concern," Nigel said. "Where is that man who was mistaken for me?"

"That's right!" Lucca yelled. "I forgot about him!" She ran to the stairs. Joel followed closely behind her.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they headed back down the same route they had taken to the master bedroom. When they opened the doors, Mike was crouched down on the floor.

"Mike! Are you OK?!" Joel knelt next to Mike. Mike raised his head, then threw his arms around Joel. Joel hugged the trembling Mike tightly.

"I...I was scared..." 

"Don't worry," Joel reassured Mike. "It's over now. Let's go back to the village."

"First my body was being torn apart, then I was somewhere dark and lonely. Is that what it's like to die?"

"The real Prince Nigel is safe," Lucca stated. "Let's go back. I have just the means for us to do it." 

Mike picked his head up. "What do you mean?"

Lucca pulled a small rod out of her right pocket. "I studied the warp field caused by the pendant, then used the facts I discovered to create this. I call it a `Gate Key.' It neutralizes the powers of your pendant, and will send us back to our current time."

"Sounds good to me," Mike said as he had Joel help him up. "Coming, Joel?"

Lucca raised the rod high in the air. A blue portal materialized, then pulled them all in. The three were sent flying, then ended up back in Leene Square, in front of the Telepod. Taban and the `bots were waiting for them.

"Are those things yours?" Taban asked Joel. "The gold one and the red one caused me quite a bit of trouble." He pointed to the two machines between the tubes, now charred and smoking.

"Crow! Tom!" Joel yelled. "What did you do?!"

"Well..." Crow began. "We were going to try that thing where you send someone to the other platform, but it wasn't working, so Tom decided to plug in a few extra wires here and there..."

"Tom!" Joel scolded Servo. "You know better than that!"

"Yeah, well, it was Crow who started flipping the switches!" Servo objected.

Joel crossed his arms over his chest. "That's it. You two are getting a time out."

"Joel Robinson?" The group turned to see a group of castle soldiers standing behind them. "Princess Nadia has reported that her pendant has disappeared. We thought maybe that you knew--"

"Hey!" One soldier pointed to the pendant on Mike's chest. "There it is!"

"I don't know anything about it," Mike said.

"Admit it!" one soldier cried at the top of his lungs. "You two stole the pendant!"

"We never--" Joel began.

"You're under arrest!" The soldiers grabbed the helpless pair, then violently dragged them away. Lucca started to run after them, but was cuffed by one of the soldiers and sent reeling to the ground.  
***  
Two soldiers shoved Mike into a small, filthy cell before slamming the door behind him. An official-looking man descended the winding staircase on the left side of the room, then began to speak to the   
soldiers.

"The execution is three days away. Don't let him out of your sight."

"Execution?!" Mike screamed. "We were never given a trial!"

"You don't need one," a soldier proclaimed. "All criminals in this kingdom are guilty unless let out on a legal technicality."

"We're taking care of the other one," the first man continued. 

Mike rushed to the prison bars. "What have you done with Joel, you sick bastards?!"

"We've got a feisty one here." A sadistic grin crossed one soldier's face as he drew an electromagnetic rod from the holster he wore.

The second soldier pulled a carving knife out of his pocket. "I hope you realize what happens to pretty boys like you and your friend in prison."

"I don't think he knows," the official said. "Why don't you two go in there and show him?" He pressed a switch on the wall that opened the door. 

Before he had time to react, one soldier grabbed Mike's arms and held them behind his back. As the other bent over to grab his waist, Mike drove his leg forward and kicked him in the groin. 

The soldier crumpled over onto the floor and clutched the area tightly. His screams of agony echoed off the prison walls. Mike thrust his leg behind him and kicked the other soldier in the same area. The soldier lost his grip on him. Mike took the chance to turn around and seize the electromagnetic rod the soldier had been armed with.

The official-looking man rushed up the staircase. Mike ran out of the cell and slammed the door shut behind him. He then climbed the staircase, leaving the two bewildered soldiers in the cell behind him. 

Mike clutched the rod tightly as he reached the top of the stairs. He had to find Joel, and he didn't care who he had to take out to do so.  
***  
Once the soldiers heard that a prisoner had escaped, they were all over the dungeon. Mike was able to get past the majority of them by sneaking up from behind and knocking them out with his rod. When he   
reached the torture chamber, he finally found what he had been looking for.

Joel had been placed underneath the blade of a guillotine. His hands and feet were chained, and rope had been tied around his arms and legs to keep the limbs together. The sight reminded Mike of a farm   
animal headed for the slaughterhouse. Four soldiers stood at attention, while another was positioned to cut the rope that held the blade above Joel's neck.

Mike knew he had to act. He ran his hands down the rod until he found the switch. He pressed it with his thumb, and electricity began to spark from the top. Screaming savagely, he rushed towards the soldiers and swung the rod. 

Ironically, the metal armor that was designed to protect the soldiers sealed their doom. They were powerless against the electromagnetic rod. The fifth soldier abandoned his post at the guillotine and drew his sword. He was not wearing armor, but that didn't matter to Mike.

He struck the soldier several times, watching as the electricity burned the exposed skin. In a final moment of rage, Mike let out all the tension that had built inside of him by stepping on the soldier's neck and pressing all his weight down. A sickening crack was then heard.

Mike stepped over the corpses and made his way to the guillotine. He fumbled around with the sides until he was finally able to pull Joel out. 

"Are you all right?" Mike asked Joel as he broke the chains with his rod.

"I am now. Let's get out of here."

Mike nodded and tore the ropes off Joel's limbs with the rod. Joel pushed himself up and picked up a sword lying on the ground. The two ran through a long corridor until they finally came to the exit,   
where the official-looking man was standing. Mike turned on the rod again when he saw him.

"Someone help!" the man cried. He opened the large doors behind him, and was knocked out by a flying soda can that hit him in the head.

"Joel! Mike! We're here to save you!" Crow stood in front of the other `bots, holding a soda can in his left hand. 

"I guess they didn't need our help," Gypsy stated.

"Let's go!" Joel ran out of the dungeon, followed by the others. They ran until they came to a large blue portal.

"It must be another time gate," Joel said.

"Let's go in," Mike suggested. "Nobody will find us there."

"But we don't even know where it goes!" Joel objected.

"Who cares?!" Mike jumped into the portal. 

"We might as well go in." Joel picked up Servo and carried him into the portal. The other three followed him in. The portal deposited them into a metal room with a large gray door. It had a mysterious crest engraved on it.

"Where do you think we are?" Mike asked.

Cambot examined the door. He tried tapping it with his camera lens, but it wouldn't budge. He turned to the group and began gesticulating wildly.

"He says the civilization here is really advanced," Servo told everyone else for their benefit.

"There's a way out over there." Crow pointed to a glass door.

"Well, come on. We might as well try to figure out where we are." Joel walked over to the door and pulled it open. What lay outside was nothing like he had seen before.

Several metal domes dotted the crater-ridden landscape. Heaps of scrap metal that resembled buildings loomed in the distance. An arctic wind blew, and the only light came from street lamps that pierced the black clouds in the gray sky.

"There's something over here!" Gypsy yelled. She discovered a large, dilapidated highway sign. Joel gasped in horror when he read the sign's message.

_Welcome to Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the 2134 Winter Olympics._


	5. Chapter 5

Joel collapsed in front of the sign. "This...this can't be Green Bay!"

"What year is this?" Mike wondered aloud. "Clearly, it's past 2134." He glanced down at Joel, who was on the verge of crying.

"This was my hometown. I guess no matter what happens, I'll never have a home to go back to."

Mike crouched down next to Joel and wrapped an arm around him. "Come on. Let's try to figure out what happened here. We might find something in that dome close by."

The group trudged over to the dome, slowed considerably by the craters that riddled the ground. When they finally reached the front door, they pushed it open, and found a young man standing in the doorway.

"Run!" he cried. "There are robots right behind you!"

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, confused.

"They're right behind you! Run, or--" The young man took a closer look at the `bots. "Hey, they're not from the R Series."

"R Series?" Mike repeated.

"Well, come on in. We'll talk in there." The young man led them into the dome. Inside, the dome was scientifically advanced, but its occupants looked like they had never been around technology before. They were dirty and thin, and wore torn rags that someone had probably mistaken for clothing.

"Who are you?" A woman approached the group. She clutched a young girl in her bony arms. The girl had yellowish skin and very little hair on her head. Like her mother, she was suffering the effects of malnutrition.

"We should be asking you that," Joel replied. "Is this really Green Bay? Why does everything look so desolate?"

"Green Bay?" the woman said. "Never heard of it."

"I have," said the young man from before. "It's what they used to call this city millennia ago."

"What's a city?" the woman asked.

"Green Bay was the epicenter of the Apocalypse. Every single spot on Earth now looks like this. There isn't a green spot left anywhere. Many people are dying because of starvation, getting killed by the robots, or just plain despair."

"Exactly what happened during the Apocalypse?" Joel inquired.

The young man shrugged. "You'll have to go ask Doan. He's the freak living over in Arris Dome. He's the oldest one of us, so he might know something. Plus, they've got a huge food storage area."

"If you go, can you pick something up for us?" the woman asked. "My daughter hasn't eaten in four days."

"What do you think, guys?" Joel turned to the group.

"This place sucks," Crow muttered. "Let's get out of here."

"We might as well," Mike suggested. "We might find out what happened."

"Arris Dome is to the northwest," the young man stated. "It's right next to the Lab 16 ruins. You can't miss it."  
***  
The situation left Joel with many questions. What had happened to Green Bay? How could it affect the entire world? Also, what was this race of killer robots he had heard about?

Joel's train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as Mike opened the doors of Arris Dome. Inside, the people were in an even worse condition than the ones they had previously met.

An elderly man hobbled over to Mike, aided by a cane. "I never thought humans and robots could coexist."

"Joel here created and built them," Mike said. "I think that's why they're different."

"Indeed they are," the man stated. "Most of the robots we see nowadays are manufactured by other robots." The man gazed at Joel inquisitively. "Did you really build those things?"

Joel nodded silently. His mind was on other things.

"Pardon me. My name is Doan. I'm the descendant of this dome's creator. If you came for the food, you're out of luck. No one has ever left that food storage area alive."

Joel's expression brightened as he got an idea. "Is there a way to get down there?"

"It's just down the ladder in the lower left hand corner, but why are you--"

"Someone has to do it, right?"

"It's nice to see spirited young people for a change. Go, now, and come back alive."

"What's down here?" Mike inquired as he and Joel climbed down the stairs. They were followed closely by the `bots. "You must have had something in mind."

"This is the biggest dome I've seen so far, so they must have a computer of some sort in here. If I can get it up and running, we can do a search on time portals and find a way out of here."

Gypsy screamed and rushed over to Joel. He glanced at the area she had been in and cringed. A rotting corpse was slumped against the wall.

"Cambot, what's that in its hand?" Servo asked. Cambot made his way to the corpse and tapped on its left arm. A packet of sunflower seeds fell out of its clenched fist. He tried to pick them up, but wasn't able to. Crow went and picked up the seeds for him.

"Can I see those?" Joel asked.

"Sure." Crow ran over to Joel with the seeds. "What are these?"

Joel examined the packet carefully. "They're seeds. I doubt they could grow in a place like this, though."

"Hey, Joel!" Mike pointed to a large mass of wires and machinery. "I think this is the mainframe!"

Joel stuffed the packet in his pocket and knelt down. He adjusted the wires that were close to him before standing up and pushing a few switches on one of the machines. The long-dormant computer system then sparked back to life.

"Good!" Joel searched the area until he found a small keyboard. He furiously pressed down the keys until a small window popped up on the screen.

"I found a way out," he announced. "All we need to do is open the door in the area we found Doan in. It's probably run by electricity, so..." Joel fiddled around with the keyboard some more. A small red button to the right of the keyboard caught Mike's eye.

"Hey, what does that button do?" Mike asked.

A rumbling sound came from directly above them as Joel activated the door on the upper floor. "I don't know, but let's find out." Joel pressed the button. Static flickered across the screen before an image appeared.

"July 18, 2134," Joel read the words that appeared on the bottom of the screen. "Visual record of the Day of Lavos."

The screen displayed a panoramic view of downtown Green Bay. The buildings then shook violently as a large crevice appeared in the middle of a busy street. Molten lava gushed out, engulfing several cars, people, and buildings as the hole grew even bigger.

A gigantic monster rose out of the center of the earth. It had a large shell that made it look like an overgrown turtle. When it pulled its head into the shell, lava flew into the sky and came raining down on Green Bay, decimating everything it struck.

The screen flickered before the picture faded to static. The only sound in the room was the hum of the machine.

"Is that...Lavos?" Mike wondered aloud. His disbelief was apparent in his voice.

"It must be." Joel continued to stare at the screen. He expected to see credits appear on the screen; and the record to be only another bad movie. The credits never showed up. Everything he had just seen was real.

Mike fell to the ground. "NO!" he cried. "I refuse to believe it!" He pounded the floor several times with his fists before burying his face in his hands. "This can't be how the world ends."

"Then you know what you have to do?" Gypsy broke her long silence. "Go change history. Joel did that when he saved Mike."

"Change history?" Mike repeated. "That's impossible."

"What about your pendant?" Crow inquired. "Didn't you guys say it took you through time?"

"It's better than doing nothing," Tom added.

Everyone stood silent for a few moments. Finally, Joel spoke. "I'll do it."

"Joel?!" Changing the future was one of the most farfetched ideas that Mike had ever heard. However, his seemingly rational friend had just agreed to do it. "Why did you say that, all of a sudden?"

Joel sighed heavily. "It may be the only way I can ever go home." He slowly walked away from the computer.

"Joel?" Mike asked again. What had he meant by that?

"Come on." Joel's voice wavered slightly as he changed the subject. "Let's go see Doan."  
***  
Doan gasped in astonishment as he saw the group emerge from the food storage area.

"You're back!" he cried. "What did you discover?"

Joel lowered his head. "This is our future."

Doan gazed at Joel quizzically. "I don't understand."

A tall, slender man ran over to Doan. "Who cares?! Where's the food?!"

Joel pulled the packet of seeds out of his pocket. "This is all that was down there."

"Seeds?" Doan took the packet out of Joel's hand.

"Nobody knows how much longer any of you can survive," Joel stated. "Those seeds might be your only chance."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Finally, Doan broke the ice.

"You're different from us," he said.

"I think that's because we're healthy," Joel suggested.

"Heal-thy?" Doan repeated the word, which was foreign to him. "Healthy. I like that word. It has a nice ring to it."

A little girl pulled on the rags Doan was wearing. "What are those?" She pointed to the packet.

"They just might be our future," Doan replied.

"Hey, Joel." Mike pointed at the large door near the exit to the dome. "Let's get out of here."

"I guess we're leaving now," Joel told Doan. "See you later."

"Take care, and stay...healthy!" Doan said as he waved to the departing pair.

As the group entered the doorway, Joel suddenly remembered something he had heard in the year 600.

"Let's go through here and try to get back to the year 600. I think I may know where Lavos comes from."


	6. Chapter 6

As the group stepped into the portal, it did not react like all the other portals had. Electricity crackled all around them before they were sent reeling through a vacuum of red light.

They were then thrown onto a cobblestone platform. Three pillars of light rose from another platform above them, which was connected to the first platform by a flight of cement stairs. A golden metal   
fence surrounded both platforms. The platform they were on had an old street lamp in the center. Underneath it was a sleeping old man. Behind the lamp were a wooden door and a bucket.

The old man awoke with a start. "More guests?!"

"Guests?! Where are we?" Mike gazed at their surroundings. The platforms were levitating in a midnight blue atmosphere littered with gray clouds. The place looked like something out of a bad acid trip.

"You've reached the End of Time. You see, the Conservation of Time theorem states that whenever more than three beings step into a time portal, they will end up at the time-space coordinates of least   
resistance. Those points are here."

"If we're at the End of Time, could we go to another time?" Joel asked.

"See those pillars of light over there? Each one is connected to a different era. All periods of time connect here, but some of the gates aren't open yet."

"So then, let's find a portal to the year 600." Joel began to head towards the stairs.

"Wait a minute," said the old man. "Before you go tearing back and forth through time, I suggest that you two humans take a look at what's inside the room behind me." He gestured towards the door, which then opened by itself.

Joel and Mike walked through the doorway to find another platform. In the center was a small animal that appeared to be some type of ape.

"What is that thing?" Mike asked.

"It's a monkey," Joel replied.

"It can't be. Maybe it's a gorilla."

"I am NOT either one of those!" the creature shouted in offense. "I'm Spekkio, the Master of War!"

"How can a tiny little thing like you be the Master of War?" Mike muttered.

"You wanna take me on, punk?!" Spekkio yelled. "I can kick your ass from here to Guardia Kingdom!"

"Guys..." Joel said in an irritated tone. "What did we come in here for?"

"Well, you guys must be strong in will and mind. That's why the Old One let you through. He wants me to give you the power to use magic."

"Magic?" Mike repeated.

"There are four elements: Water, Fire, Wind, and Shadow. The guy with the sword is `Water.' The punk with the stick is `Wind.' Now, close your eyes..."

As the two closed their eyes, they were both enveloped in blue light. The light vanished after a few seconds. 

"There. Now you can use magic. Long ago, almost everyone knew how to use magic, but then people began to abuse their powers. So, you two are almost the only humans left who can use it."

"Who else can?" Joel asked.

"Magus, from the year 600. He's leading the Mystics in a war."

"Hey, Joel." What Spekkio had said made Mike remember what Joel had been talking about. "What were you saying earlier?"

"I heard that the Forresters harnessed the power of Lavos. I thought that maybe it had something to do with how Magus got his power."

"Hey, you're pretty swift," Spekkio said. "I heard that Magus brought forth Lavos, who destroyed the Earth in the year 2134."

"And the power of Lavos was harnessed by the Forresters?" Joel guessed.

Spekkio shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know?! Do I look like the Encyclopedia Britannica to you? If you go and fight Magus, I think you'll find out."

"Then let's go," said Joel. "We'll have to leave the 'bots here for a little bit, since more than three can't go through a portal at once."

"You're fighting for the future so you can go home, right?" Mike said. "What did you mean when you said that?"

Joel hesitated. "I'll tell you later, OK?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Just don't keep me in the dark." Mike opened the door and walked out. He then spoke to the old man and the `bots.

"We're going off to fight Magus. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"You're just leaving us here?!" Gypsy cried. "That's not fair! I wanna go, too!"

"You guys can't all fit in a time portal," Joel said as he walked out of the doorway. He turned to Mike. "Shall we get going?"

"Sure." The two climbed the flight of stairs before stepping into one of the pillars of light.


	7. Chapter 7

The light brought them to the middle of medieval Truce Village. Plumes of black smoke rose from the edge of the village. The previously bustling village was almost abandoned. 

"Halt!" Joel and Mike stopped in their tracks when they heard a voice behind them. They turned to see a soldier from Guardia Castle.

"Are you two civilians? If so, you have to take shelter in Truce Canyon."

"What's going on here?" Joel inquired.

"Just answer my question!" the soldier snapped.

"Not exactly," Mike replied. "Did Prince Nigel send you?"

The soldier shook his head. "He was wounded at Zenan Bridge."

"What's going on?" Joel asked again.

"Magus's troops have launched an attack. Our troops are fighting them at Zenan Bridge. However, we are severely outnumbered."

"Then let us help," Mike suggested.

"Are you crazy?!" The soldier paused, then reconsidered his statement. "Then again, we need all the help we can get. Follow me. I'll lead you to the bridge."  
***  
Zenan Bridge was littered with the bodies of many soldiers from both sides. The planks of the bridge were awash with blood. Mike swallowed nervously, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"They've sent their top general," the soldier stated. "I'm not sure if we can beat him."

"We'll try." Mike turned to Joel. "We have magic now. He can't stop us." 

"Uh...yeah, whatever," Joel stammered. He followed Mike to the edge of the bridge.

"Oh, look!" A tall, muscular goblin stood before them. "More rebels! I think I'll get rid of the stronger one first."

The goblin extended his right arm, and the wooden planks below Mike broke, sending him careening into the raging river below.

"Mike!" Joel crouched down next to the spot Mike had stood. There was no answer except for a large splash.

The goblin laughed mirthfully. "Now I'll take care of the weaker one."

Joel pushed himself up. He felt himself burning with rage as he drew his sword. 

"No!" he cried. "I'm going to take care of YOU!" 

"We'll see about that." The goblin raised both arms, and the bodies of the dead rose to their feet. They drew their weapons and headed for Joel.

"You can't use magic, so you have no chance of beating them!"

_That's it!_ Joel thought. _I have to cast a spell!_

Joel pulled his sword close to his chest. He closed his eyes and concentrated. When he had gathered enough arcane energy, he thrust the sword at the advancing army.

"Aqua Buster!" A tsunami came from under the bridge. It washed all the soldiers away.  
***  
Mike had managed to swim to the river's bank. He felt weak, but that didn't matter to him. He had to save Joel.  
***  
"Hmm." The goblin frowned. "I suppose you're a little stronger than I thought."

A snarl crossed Joel's face. "I'll show you my true strength." He prepared the spell again. "Aqua Buster!"  
***  
Mike began to climb the support planks of the bridge. Pain coursed through every limb as he moved. He forced himself to move faster. The pain was unbearable, but he had to get back onto the bridge.  
***  
Joel stood in place, dumbfounded. Water gushed all over the bridge, but the goblin was impervious to Joel's magic.

The goblin grinned. "Single combat, rebel." It drew a broadsword.

Joel drew his sword. The two cautiously stepped towards each other. Each swung their sword, and the blades met in a crescendo of glistening steel. As their swords danced in between them, the two seemed to waltz around each other in an attempt to avoid the other's blade.

"Cyclonic Rage!" A large tornado swept the goblin into the river.

"You'll pay for this!" the goblin screamed as the current washed it away.

Joel turned to see Mike. His legs shook involuntarily as he staggered over to Joel. 

"Don't move, Mike. I'll take you to the inn in the next village."

"You...saved my...life...so..." Mike stopped speaking when his legs gave out and he collapsed.  
***  
Mike was too heavy for Joel to carry, so he carried Mike piggyback style to the next village. Once he found an inn, he paid for a double room. The innkeeper helped Joel carry Mike up the stairs to their room. They placed him on one of the full-size beds.

The innkeeper headed for the door. "If you need anything else, let me know."

"Thank you," Joel said as the innkeeper closed the door.

Joel then walked over to the bed where the convalescent Mike lay. "Are you bleeding anywhere?"

"Probably. The rocks in the river scraped a lot of my skin off."

"Why don't you take a nice warm bath? After that, I'll take care of those wounds for you." 

"That would be great if I could make it over to the bathroom," Mike stated.

"I'll draw the bath for you, and then help you into the bathroom. How's that sound?"

"Fine." 

Joel ran off to do just that. As he listened to the water fill the bathtub, Mike began to think. Joel said that he had lost his family. Could Joel truly understand him? Also, why was Joel being so nice to him? All Mike had done was repay the favor of Joel saving his life.

Joel poked his head out of the bathroom doorway. "Leave your clothes outside, OK? I'm taking them downstairs to have them washed."

"OK." Mike forced himself into a sitting position. He pushed himself to the edge of the bed. Joel walked out of the bathroom and over to Mike's side. He extended his arm to Mike, who took it; then staggered over to the bathroom. 

Mike closed the door halfway as he peeled his soaking wet clothes off. He threw them in a pile on the floor.

"Take all the time you need in there," Joel said as he picked up the clothes.

"Thanks. I will." Mike stepped over to the bathtub and cautiously slipped in. He sat down and let the warm water caress his naked skin.

The warm water felt wonderful against Mike's aching muscles. He sat in the water for a few minutes before picking up the soap.  
***  
Once Joel finished washing Mike's clothes, he paid the innkeeper for some bandages before returning to the room.

"Uh, Joel?" Mike called as soon as he heard the door open. "Can you help me out of here?"

Joel threw Mike's wet clothes onto the dresser and walked into the bathroom. Mike was attempting to push himself into a standing position, but wasn't having much success.

Joel placed his hands on the sides of Mike's chest. "Try standing up." He pulled on Mike until he was able to drag him onto the top edge of the bathtub. "You worked yourself too hard, you know that?"

"It was hard enough trying to swim," Mike said as he pushed himself off the tub. "Climbing up the bridge was what nearly killed me."

"Then why did you do it? I would have come for you later."

"You needed my help. Also, you saved my life." Mike gazed intently at Joel. "I never thanked you for that."

Joel pulled a few towels off the sink and handed them to Mike. "I thought you were a goner back there."

"Me too," Mike said as he began drying himself off. "Once I hit the water, I was certain I was going to die."

When Mike moved his arm, Joel caught a glimpse of Mike's back. It was covered with scrapes and jagged wounds.

"Oh my God! Let me get you something for those." Joel rushed out of the bathroom to fetch the bandages.

"These?" Mike glanced at the wounds on his back. "They're fine. You don't have to do anything."

Joel walked back in with the bandages in tow. "It's the least I can do for the guy who won the Battle of Zenan Bridge."

Mike chuckled. "Is that what the history books call it?"

Joel shrugged. "I don't know. I probably wasn't paying attention in class that day." He began placing the bandages on Mike's back. "I'd better take care of you, though. You're my only friend."

"Are you serious?" 

Joel nodded. "Not many people have ever approached me. Maybe my talk about machinery is too highbrow for them."

"If I had your mechanical talent, I wouldn't have been working as a temp."

"Really? You seem to be the only person who understands me."

"Well, we were both shot into space and left there," Mike stated. "I can understand how you felt then." 

"And..." Joel paused. He pulled a Turkish bathrobe off one of the hooks on the wall and handed it to Mike.

"What?" Mike asked as he put the bathrobe on.

Joel offered his arm to Mike again. Mike took it, and he led Mike out of the bathroom and onto one of the beds. 

"You've lost your family too," Joel said. He sat down on the opposite bed and faced Mike.

"What happened to them?"

"They're all still alive. They don't think I'm really related to them, though." Joel sighed deeply. "After I crash landed in the Australian Outback, I took some various jobs here and there until I could afford a plane ticket back to the States, and another to Green Bay."

"So, you went home to see your family?" Mike asked.

"I knocked on the door and told my mom who I was when she answered. She didn't believe me, and treated me like a stranger. Everyone in my family thinks I'm dead. She went and got my dad, who yelled at me, then kicked me out. I still remember what he said. He said, `You're not my son! Get out of here!' On top of that, I went to the bank, and it turned out they had handed all my assets over to my brother. I have nothing."

Mike nodded in understanding. He was right. Joel had suffered as much as he had.

"So after that, I headed downtown and climbed the fire escape of an apartment building to the roof. I was going to jump."

"What stopped you? You're still alive, right?"

"Nothing did. I jumped, but when I came to, I was in Truce Village. I have no idea what happened. After that, I started working as a janitor at Guardia Castle, and only left to update the SOL. The rest, as they say, is history."

Mike began turning the sheets down. "So, you think that changing time will help you to see your family again?"

"It's the only thing I can think of doing now. My life's had no meaning since I returned to Earth."

Mike reached over and squeezed one of Joel's hands. "That's not true. You're my best friend. That means a lot to me."

"I am?" Joel asked in slight shock.

Mike nodded. "I haven't had any friends since I came back to Earth."

"Best friend..." Joel repeated. "Nobody's ever called me that."

Mike smiled warmly. "There's a first time for everything, right?"

Joel returned the smile. He clasped Mike's hand. "You're right. You'd better get a lot of rest. I don't want anything to happen to you when we go after Magus."

"How do we find him?" Mike inquired.

"We'll worry about that in the morning. It's getting real late." Joel pulled his shoes off before turning down the covers of his bed. "Good night."

"Good night," Mike said as he slipped in between the covers of his bed.


	8. Chapter 8

As Mike woke up, he poked around for any strange objects around the bed. There was nothing there. He opened his eyes and was surprised to discover the `bots weren't planning a wake-up call.

"No, there aren't any traps," Joel said from the other side of the room. He was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. A map of the region was sprawled out in front of him.

"They woke you up in the mornings, too?" Mike sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I think the worst time was when they poured the box of hamsters on my head." 

"Oh, dear God." Mike cringed at the image. He turned his head and looked at Joel. "What's that you have there?"

"I went downstairs and got a map of this region. The innkeeper tells me there's a lot of suspicious activity at the Magic Cave." Joel leaned over the map. "There aren't any caves on this map, though."

"Maybe we need to blow the door open or something," Mike suggested as he slipped out of bed. "The enemy isn't stupid. They'd conceal their hideout."

"Then maybe it isn't really a cave." Joel peered at a small area on the map. "The only conspicuous thing near the village is this thing." Joel pointed to a spot on the map. A large rock similar to Devil's Tower stood to the east of the village.

"Did you see _Close Encounters of the Third Kind?_ " Mike said. "That's what that reminds me of."

"So why not head out there? If we have to blow the cave open, we'll just use our magic. If there are any bad guys, we beat them. If there's anything we have to break, we'll break it."

Mike grinned. "I like your attitude. We'll head out as soon as I get dressed."  
***  
The towering rock loomed above the pair as they approached it. Out of the corner of his eye, Mike noticed a red light near the ground. When he looked down, he realized what it was. 

"My pendant!" he cried. "What's going on?!"

"I guess they didn't name it the Magic Cave for nothing," Joel stated. "I feel a strong force here. Your pendant must be reacting to it."

Mike moved closer to the rock. With every step, the pendant gleamed brighter.

"I feel like I'm being led by something," Mike said before he noticed a small indentation in the rock. It had the same shape as his pendant. He placed the pendant in the gap.

Both lost their footing as the earth began to shake violently. Large chunks of the rock came raining down as it began to split in half. Two pieces of the rock fell forward, and would have crushed Mike had he not run away. The earthquake subsided as soon as it had begun. The rock contained a large cave, which seemed to beckon them into its depths.

Joel climbed over one of the large rocks and followed Mike into the cave. He jumped when he saw a pile of human bones.

"Are you scared?" he asked Mike. He tried to keep his voice from trembling.

"Ask yourself." Mike's voice wavered slightly.

A blinding light radiated from the depths of the cave, causing Mike to shield his eyes. When it vanished, he found himself in a mirrored room. This would not have bothered him if Joel had not disappeared.

"Joel!" Mike ran through the room, which turned out to be a large maze. His reflection flowed through the mirrors as he went by. "Where are you?!"  
***  
Joel's surroundings appeared to melt around him as the brilliant light began to vanish. He looked down to find himself standing on a marble floor. A glass chandelier dangled from the ceiling.

"Mike?" Joel's voice echoed throughout the room. He looked around him. Mike was nowhere to be seen. Joel placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as he walked forward. His heels clicked against the floor, and the hollow noise reverberated across the area.

"Well, well...it's the weaker rebel."

Joel looked forward and gasped. The goblin he had faced at Zenan Bridge was standing before him.

"I haven't forgotten how much trouble you gave me. But without your friend to protect you, you're mine!"  
***  
"JOEL!" Mike was too tired to run any longer. He collapsed in front of a large mirror. He had tried to stay calm, but losing Joel in a maze was too much for him to handle. He fell completely to the ground, hyperventilating.

"Michael." A female voice came from behind him. "You must be lonely all by yourself. Come with us."

Mike glanced at the mirror in front of him. He pushed himself onto his knees and whirled around when he saw who was behind him.

"Mom? Dad?" Mike stood and approached the two cautiously. He was scared to be in a strange place without Joel, but happy that his parents were safe.

Or were they?

"There's nothing to worry about." Mike's mother extended her hand to him. "Go on, take my hand."

Mike inched his trembling hand towards his mother's. He was shocked to feel human flesh against his hand.

"You see? I'm real, not a ghost. Now, come with us." 

"To where?" Mike asked.

Mike's father, who had snuck up behind him, applied a chokehold to his son. "To hell!"

There was a flash of light as the monsters that had impersonated Mike's parents reverted to their true forms.

"Foolish boy. You followed the anguish in your heart right into our trap." The monster behind Mike continued to choke him as the second tied Mike's hands together. "You should feel honored we're going to let you watch your friend die before we kill you."  
***  
The goblin's laughter echoed throughout the chambers. "Ignorant rebel. Didn't you remember water magic doesn't affect me?"

"No problem," Joel said as he drew his sword. "I'll take care of you by hand."

The goblin drew its broadsword. "Shut up and let your steel do the talking."

Joel swung his sword at the goblin, who parried his blow. Out of the corner of his eye, Joel noticed two monsters dragging Mike into the room. 

Joel temporarily abandoned his battle stance. "Mike! You're all right!" 

"Got you!" The goblin took advantage of Joel's momentary lapse of defense. With a firm swing towards the hilt of Joel's sword, the goblin sent the sword to the floor. It landed a few inches away from Joel with a loud clatter.

Joel slowly backed away from the goblin. He cast a desperate glance at Mike.

"I don't care what happens to me!" Mike cried. "Just get yourself out!"

"No! I can't leave you here!" Joel objected.

"Just go!" One of the goblins then cuffed Mike across the face. The impact caused Mike's pendant to sparkle. Beams of red light shot across the room.

"Impossible!" one monster cried. "How can a non-Mystic possess a relic from the Magic Realm?!"

"Forget that!" the other shouted. "What's with the light?!"

The goblin stopped in his tracks. "It is a sign that Lavos will come soon."

"I have a bad feeling about this," one of the monsters stated. "Let's go!" The monsters shoved Mike to the floor before running away.

The pendant shone for a little while longer before fading. However, that was ample time for Joel and Mike to acquire new powers from it. Joel did not hesitate to take advantage of his new ability.

"Crescent Freeze!" Joel threw his right arm forward and sent a torrent of water at the goblin. The goblin laughed when he saw it was another water spell, but immediately stopped when it was encased   
in a block of ice. The ice shattered, taking several pieces of the goblin along with its shards.

"What was that?!" Mike said in shock. He lifted his arms so that Joel could cut the rope binding them with his sword.

"It seems your pendant awakened some other powers between us. The goblin said it's shining like this because Lavos is coming."

Mike pushed himself up. "If that's the case, we'd better hurry."

Their surroundings melted around them a final time before transporting them inside of a Gothic cathedral. An inverted pentagram had been painted on the cobblestone floor. Four caldrons of fire stood at the compass points of the circle. Five triangular   
black candles had been placed at the points of the pentagram. 

A man clad in black wizard's robes materialized before the pair. His long blue hair cascaded down his back. His narrow blue eyes flashed red when he saw them.

Mike reached for his rod. "The Great Magus, I presume?"

The sorcerer nodded. "I must commend you on coming this far. You are the first humans to pass through the Magic Cave." 

Mike's pendant began to sparkle. Magus gasped in shock.

"That pendant! How come you--" The glass in the windows cracked as the ground began to shake violently. "

"Don't wake up now!" Magus cried. 

A giant blue portal materialized above the three. Magus glared at Mike.

"You! If only you hadn't shown up!" he snarled.

A howling wind blew as the three were sucked into the portal. Shards of glass fell from the windows as the earthquake grew in intensity. The portal then vanished, leaving no trace of them or their whereabouts.


	9. Chapter 9

Joel groaned as he regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on the floor of a small cave. Mike was seated next to the exit, peering out at his surroundings.

"I never thought such a place existed."

"What?" Joel said as he sat up.

Mike jumped back in shock. "Oh, you're awake! Would you believe there is a floating city outside?"

"Floating...city?" Joel crawled next to Mike and peered out of the cave. Outside, a blizzard was sweeping the snow-covered earth. Above the clouds, however, was a small city, accentuated by a magnificent   
castle in its center.

"My grandma once told me a story about a city in the clouds. I guess it was true after all." Mike pulled his pendant out of his pocket. "This isn't doing anything now, but it's been reacting to something outside for a while now."

"Maybe it's the city," Joel suggested. "We should probably go investigate." 

"How do we get up there?" Mike asked. "And how do we get through the blizzard?"

Joel laughed. "You're from the Midwest. I thought you were used to this kind of weather."

"Very funny." Mike's expression remained the same. "I'm also wondering what year this is. I think it's weird there's a city out there, but something like this in here." He pointed to a small painting on the wall. It depicted a man clad in animal robes in battle with a saber-tooth tiger.

"You're right. This is strange." Joel looked out of the cave again. As the wind died down, he could make out a large building a few feet from the cave. He tapped Mike on the shoulder and pointed to it. "Let's check that place out."  
***  
The building turned out to be an elevator. It led to the city in the clouds. Despite the turbulent atmosphere below, the floating land was warm and verdant. Rare flowers blossomed everywhere, and fancy buildings dotted the landscape.

"This is really weird," Mike stated as they began to head into the city. "I'm assuming that we're in the Ice Age because of that painting we saw. But if this is the Ice Age, then how can these people be so advanced?"

Joel glanced at a few of the city's citizens. They were lavishly dressed, and many wore rather expensive jewelry. "That's simple," he replied. "Hubris."

"WHAT?" Mike narrowed his brow. He had never heard the word before.

"The Ancient Greeks called excessive pride `hubris.' These people don't look very modest to me. So, it seems logical that someone here screwed up and caused all this knowledge to be lost. Hubris, then,   
is what caused this kingdom to fall."

The two then came upon a brick wall lined with flowers. Photographs of a woman lined the area. Joel approached one of the people standing there.

"Excuse me, but what is this place?"

"This was just completed three days ago. It is the memorial to our dearly departed Queen Katarina."

"What happened to her?" Joel asked.

The woman cocked her head. "Well, of course you wouldn't know. You're not one of us Enlightened Ones. Yet, you're not one of the wretched Earthbound Ones either. You're rather interesting, I must say."

"What happened?" Joel asked again.

"She fell down the stairs and split her head wide open. She died of the injury soon after. Her daughter, Schala, was next in line for the throne, but a mysterious woman ascended the throne. She was   
responsible for the creation of the Mammon Machine, our new energy source. However, terrible things have been happening since then."

"What kind of things?" Mike was intrigued.

"The three Sages that guided the Queen have vanished. One of Princess Schala's attendants was killed for disobeying the new Queen. Also, Schala is being forced to help with the construction of the Ocean Palace. She's never had to work before. That is the job of the Earthbound Ones."

"Who is this Queen?" Mike asked.

"I only know her name," the woman replied.

"That's all right," Mike stated. "What's her name?"

"Pearl Forrester."  
***  
"Impossible." Mike slumped down onto a bench. "I thought that she only tormented the two of us, but she's responsible for the fall of this kingdom."

"Not from what I can tell," Joel said. "These people were in trouble long before the death of the Queen."

"What do you mean?"

"They've divided themselves into two groups: the Earthbound Ones and the Enlightened Ones. Since they're not able to get along, the conflict between them is what probably caused this kingdom to fall.   
All Pearl did was accelerate the process."

"Do you think we could get into the castle?" Mike asked. "There's probably more to this story than we know about."

Joel nodded. "I want to see the Mammon Machine for myself. I find it very hard to believe that something could harness enough power to keep this place moving."

"Let's go find out."  
***  
To their surprise, the castle was open to the public. Throngs of people milled about the castle. Some were there to see the Mammon Machine. Others wanted to catch a glimpse of the Prophet. 

According to a bookkeeper at the castle, the Prophet had recently appeared before the Queen. Every prediction he had made had become reality. No one knew where he had come from, or where he had   
acquired his powers. He was neither an Earthbound nor an Enlightened One, which caused much curiosity about him.

Joel walked through the halls of the castle, milling over the facts he had just learned. He was so absorbed in his thoughts he wasn't watching where he was going. He ended up walking into a room   
occupied by a solitary woman.

The woman rose from the chair she had been sitting in. "Hello. Who might you be?"

"What?" Joel snapped out of his daze. He glanced at Mike, who was looking over the woman very intently. When Joel looked more closely at her, he understood why.

She was a rather petite thing, with long blue hair that was tied into a ponytail. She was clad in a long-sleeved violet dress that left much to the imagination. She also wore a pendant that looked exactly like Mike's.

"That pendant!" she cried. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it where my house once stood." Mike didn't know what else to say.

"I know who you are, then. The Observer was careless to let you escape."

"What?" Mike perked up. "How do you know about him?"

The woman sighed deeply. "I don't have time to tell you the whole story, since I am expected at the Ocean Palace. However, there are a few things you need to know now. First of all, the death of my   
mother was not an accident."

"Your mother?" Joel repeated. "Then, you're Princess Schala, right?"

"Just call me Schala. I've always hated my title."

"What about your mother?" Mike inquired.

"Shortly before her death, Pearl and her cronies arrived in this realm with a strange rock. They gave it to the Sage Chekov, who fashioned shards of the rock into pendants such as the one I am wearing. The rock was what enabled them to travel through time to this era."

"I see." Mike nodded in understanding. All along, it had been his pendant that was taking him throughout time.

"The three Sages then built the Mammon Machine, which can harness the power of Lavos. Once Pearl discovered that, she wanted that power all for herself. So, she had someone push my mother down the   
stairs. After that, she took the throne and got rid of all those who opposed her."

"The three Sages and your attendant, right?" Mike asked.

Schala nodded. "Damien refused to pledge allegiance to Pearl. So, she had him killed." She buried her face in her hands. "I was engaged to him."

"Princess Schala." A young man arrived at the door. "The Queen requests your immediate presence at the Ocean Palace."

"Yes. Right away." Schala walked towards the door, then turned to face Joel and Mike. 

"Feel free to look through anything I have here. I'm the chief engineer of the Ocean Palace, so I have a few blueprints scattered about. And, as for you..." Schala gazed intently at Mike. "I will return after I am done at the Palace. When I speak with you again, everything will become clear." She then left with the man.

"Blueprints?" Joel was intrigued. He had never met a woman with such an avid interest in engineering. He began to poke around the desk in the room.

Mike stood rooted to the ground. "Everything will become clear, she said. What do you suppose she means by that?"


	10. Chapter 10

Joel picked up a blueprint on the desk. "She mentioned Lavos. Does this mean Pearl has anything to do with it?"

Mike shrugged. "Maybe. All I know about Lavos is that Magus summoned it from within the earth and it caused the Apocalypse in 2134." He paused. "Speaking of Magus...we never did find him."

"Did he die?" Joel asked.

"You and I were the only ones in the cave. There's no way to be sure what happened to him."

"Never mind Magus, I'm interested in finding out what's going on here." Joel showed the blueprint to Mike. "This is the plan for the Ocean Palace. It's being built underwater, which is impossible. The   
weight of the ocean would crush it immediately."

"You said these people were quite advanced," Mike stated. "Maybe they found some sort of material that is resistant to a lot of weight."

"There's also the Mammon Machine. I'm curious about it. There's a lot of stuff here we don't know about. We'll have to do some research before we can even consider challenging Pearl."

"You want to fight her?!" Mike couldn't believe what he had heard. The Joel he knew was very passive.

Joel clenched his right hand into a fist. "She took my family away from me."

"Calm down." Mike placed a hand on Joel's shoulder. "I know how you feel, but we shouldn't do anything that will draw attention to us here. Who knows what may happen?"

"Yeah, you're right." Joel paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "Why don't we split up and meet back here later? We'll be able to find out a lot more if we work separately."

"I agree, but what about Schala?"

"We'll talk to her when she comes back. But for now, we're on our own. I'm going to go check out the Mammon Machine."

"Okay. Just come back here when you're done." Mike poked his head outside the door. "I'm wondering about the Prophet. If he knows everything, maybe he can tell us what happened to Magus."

"All right. See you later." Joel headed out the door. Mike made his way to the desk before sitting down in the chair. He pulled the pendant out of his pocket.

Schala had a pendant exactly like his. It was the chain that bound them to one another. What did Fate have in store for them? Was she going to be important to what would occur in the future?

Mike shoved the pendant back in his pocket before standing up and heading out the door.  
***  
Joel slipped past the people in the hallway before heading through a small doorway. The size of the anteroom he had just left was a sharp contrast to the size of the machine within the room he had just   
entered.

The Mammon Machine was a large glass cylinder that held a large red rock. The top rim of the cylinder had a reverse pentagram etched in the glass.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Joel gasped when he heard a voice behind him.

"Uh...yeah." Joel hesitated before speaking to the man. "What's that rock in the middle?"

The man shrugged. "Only the Queen and the Sages know for sure. She had the Sage Chekov make a few pendants out of that rock, though."

"I see. What was the machine designed to do?"

"After the Ocean Palace is completed, it will be moved there and used to summon Lavos. However, the construction of the Ocean Palace is behind schedule. Those goddamned Earthbound Ones can't do   
anything right."

"Summon Lavos?" Joel repeated. "Why?"

"Lavos will bring eternal life to us Enlightened Ones. We shall have the glory we deserve."

Joel gazed absentmindedly at the Mammon Machine. He knew that Mike wouldn't be comfortable having a piece of a machine capable of destroying the planet. The best thing to do would be to destroy the pendant. However, if they did, they would be stuck in their current time period. Also, Mike would be very reluctant to part with the pendant. It was all he had left of his family.  
***  
Mike was slumped over the desk, reading from a large book he had found on the shelf. He had found the castle's inhabitants to be very inhospitable, so he had returned to the room he had met Schala in to do some research.

According to the book, Queen Katarina had designated three Sages to guide her and her kingdom, the Realm of Zeal. 

Staniv, the Sage of Life, was a genius in the field of medicine. He had developed many vaccines to cure various diseases that plagued the kingdom. However, Queen Katarina had refused to let him help the   
Earthbound Ones. His current project was the Phoenix Egg, a relic that could restore life. Since he and the other Sages vanished from the kingdom after Pearl's ascension to the throne, such a thing could probably never exist.

Chekov, the Sage of Time, was a battle hardened warrior who designed weapons for Zeal's military forces. However, he also worked on many projects that could benefit the Enlightened Ones, such as pendants made from the core of the Mammon Machine.

Finally, there was Ivanov, the Sage of Reason. His expertise in engineering was second to none. He had led the construction of the Mammon Machine, and assisted Princess Schala in the planning of the Ocean Palace. He was responsible for the elevator that connected Zeal and the world below.

"Mike, we're back." Joel stepped into the doorway. Schala stood behind him.

Schala walked over to the desk. "Michael Nelson, correct?" Mike jumped when she said his name. "I knew it was you. Your friend Joel here has confirmed that for me."

"How do you know me?" Mike inquired.

"I might as well be honest. There's no point in mitigating this." Schala gazed into Mike's eyes. "The fire that killed your family was intentionally set." 

Mike gasped. "Then...my pendant..."

"Pearl sent the Observer there to annihilate you and your family. She figured that you could cause her some problems in this time period, so she decided to have you killed. She gave the Observer that pendant you have and had him set that fire. However, when he escaped, he must have dropped that pendant."

Joel interrupted Schala before she could upset Mike any further. "Wouldn't she try to kill me, too?"

"Official records state that you are dead. She must have assumed that you are." Schala turned to Mike again. "The Observer blocked all the exits from your house. How did you escape?"

Mike didn't answer. He swore to himself he would not break down in front of Schala.

"He wasn't there," Joel replied.

"Well, that's fortunate for all of us. I need your help."

"What do you want us to do?" Joel asked.

"The three Sages are not dead. They've just been sent to different periods in time. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you two to rescue them so we can all kick Pearl out of Zeal. I have located Chekov. He is in Guardia Kingdom, circa the year 600. Could you two help me? I would go myself if it were possible."

"This is our chance to avenge our families," Joel stated. "I'll do it." He turned to Mike. "What about you?"

Wordlessly, Mike rose from his chair and ran out the door. His hands shielded his face.

"Mike!" Joel cried. Mike ignored him and continued running down the hallway. A door then slammed in the distance.

"Oh, no." Worried, Joel shook his head. "Excuse me," he said quickly before running after Mike.


	11. Chapter 11

Joel pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and stepped into the dark room. The only light in the room came from a candle burning in the corner. Below it, Mike was slumped on the floor.

"Mike?" Joel walked towards Mike when he received no response. He knelt down next to Mike and put an arm around him.

"I understand how you feel. I've gone through the same thing. I have nobody to turn to now. There's nobody I can confide in, or whom I can trust." Joel placed his other hand on Mike's shoulder. "Except for you."

"Me?" Mike repeated. He raised his head and gazed into Joel's eyes.

"I never would have made it this far if it wasn't for you. And I doubt I can even find Chekov and beat Pearl without you." Joel squeezed Mike's shoulder. "Come with me."

"What could I do?" Mike objected. "I'd just be a burden. Look at me." He ran a hand across his face, which was drenched with tears.

"Have you forgotten who saved my life at Zenan Bridge? Besides, if you backed out now, what would your parents think? Unless you do something about Pearl, they died in vain."

Mike paused for a moment. "Do you honestly think I can help you?"

"You've already helped me, in more ways than one. I don't think I'd be able to succeed without you. Whether or not you go along with Schala's plan is entirely up to you. I have my reasons for wanting   
you to go, but I don't think—“ 

Mike interrupted Joel before he could finish. "I do understand. I've come to rely on you too. I know that I couldn't go by myself, and I'm sure we have the same reasons for not wanting to go alone. I'll go with you to find Chekov."

Joel's jaw dropped. "Are you sure? You were so adamant about—“

"What if something happens to you? I would never be able to forgive myself." Mike wiped his face with his arm. "Come on. Let's go."  
***  
"Are you two familiar with Guardia Kingdom?" Schala inquired. "I believe Chekov is in the immediate area."

"I've been living there for a little while," Joel said. "I know the area pretty well."

"I think we can use the End of Time to head there," Mike said. "Besides, we'd better check on the `bots. They're probably running that old man ragged."

Joel laughed. "Maybe we should send them off to live with Lucca. She didn't seem to mind them."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

The three turned to see a man standing in the doorway. He was clad in a black Druid robe that covered everything except his face. His narrow blue eyes glared at them.

"As long as I am working for Pearl, I can't let you do anything unwarranted." 

"Let them go!" Schala pleaded. 

"You seem to have quite a problem with authority. What would Katarina say?"

"How dare you speak my mother's name! You may be a Prophet, but I still have the power to get rid of you!" 

The Prophet scoffed. "I don't believe you. You have neither the self-assurance nor the audacity to use it." Before Schala could object, the Prophet spoke again. "Fine, I'll spare them. But, in return, you WILL cooperate with me."

"What do you want me to do?" Schala asked.

"I'm going to send them to the End of Time. After that, I want you to seal the portal I create shut."

"But--" 

"Obey me!" the Prophet cried. "Their lives are at stake!"

It didn't take long for Schala to give up. "A...all right." She hung her head, as if she was asking the Prophet for forgiveness.

The Prophet reached into his robe and produced a small key. A small piece of the Mammon Machine's red rock was embedded in the handle. When the rock began to shimmer, a blue portal materialized in front of the group. An unknown force sucked Joel and Mike in.

The Prophet glared at Schala. "Now."

Schala's pendant shone as she cast the spell that closed the portal.   
The Prophet nodded in approval and left the room. Schala fell to her knees.

"Both of you, please forgive me..."


	12. Chapter 12

Joel and Mike found themselves back at the End of Time. Upon their arrival, the old man accosted them.

"So, you've been to the Magic Realm. You're much closer to unlocking the mystery of the imbalance in the time-space continuum. But before that, can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" Mike asked.

The old man pointed to the `bots, who were on the platform below them. "Get them out of here!"

"Send them to Lucca's house in the year 2001," Joel told the man. "If she knows they belong to me and Mike, she probably won't care."

Mike cocked his head to one side. "Are you sure about that?"

Joel nodded. "She wouldn't care. She loves messing with machines anyway."

"That takes care of our first problem," Mike said. "However, even if we find Chekov, there's no way to return to the Magic Realm."

"There just might be a way," the old man stated. "However, you'll need to find Chekov in order to do so. Just use one of the time portals to head back to the Middle Ages."

"Okay, we'll do that," Mike replied. He and Joel headed up the stairs until they found the portal that took them to Truce Village. They stepped in and were appalled at the sight that greeted them.  
***  
The bodies of many were scattered across the ground. A woman wearing a pendant similar to Mike's rushed by the two. A castle sentry shot her in the back with an arrow.

"What's going on?!" Mike asked in shock.

"We're killing all the Mystics. You're almost on time for the execution of their leader."

"Leader?" Joel repeated. Magus had been sucked into the portal with them. Therefore, he could no longer be there.

"Yes, their leader. He calls himself Chekov." Joel and Mike gasped at the sentry's comment. "But there's still time before the execution. If you see someone with a red pendant, kill them." The sentry ran off to search for more victims.

"Oh my God," Mike muttered. "What about me? If they saw my pendant, then..."

"Wait a minute," Joel said. "Where are the King and Queen? I'm positive that they would not condone a massacre in their kingdom. Let's go see them."  
***  
The two crept through Guardia Forest and headed to the castle. The place was not guarded, and the King and Queen were not on their thrones.

"Did something happen to them?" Joel wondered aloud.

"Maybe. But what about the Prince?" Mike pointed to the staircase leading to the Prince's chambers. "Let's go check out his room."

They ascended the winding staircase and walked through the hall leading to the Prince's room. Joel knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a female voice asked.

"Joel Robinson and Mike Nelson," Joel replied. "Can we come in?"

"Well, can you?"

Joel rolled his eyes. " _May_ we come in?"

"Yes, you may."

Joel opened the door to find the Queen sitting next to the feather bed. Prince Nigel was lying in bed. His hair and face were stained with blood.

"I know what's going on out there," the Queen stated. "But Nigel and I are powerless to stop it. Nigel can't make it out of bed, and I must tend to him."

"What about the King?" Mike inquired.

"He is visiting a foreign dignitary. It's about trading between their countries. However, he would not tolerate the bloodbath outside."

Nigel broke his long silence. "Joel and Mike, I must ask for your help once more. Please restore order to this kingdom."

"We'll do our best," Mike replied. He turned to Joel. "Do you have a plan?"

Joel nodded and headed over to the Prince's wardrobe. "I'll hang on to that pendant for you. You're going to be Prince Nigel again for a while, okay?"

"Well then, I must excuse myself." The Queen rose from her chair and walked out the door. She closed it once she had left.

"Okay..." Joel started rummaging through all the clothes. "You'll need a jumpsuit and a cape..." Joel pulled out the two items and threw them on the floor. He continued to shuffle through the Prince's belongings until he found a jeweled belt and a tall pair of boots.

"How...do I get this on?" Mike had stripped off his shirt and pants and was struggling with the jumpsuit.

"It buttons from the back." Joel picked up the top of the jumpsuit and held it up. Once Mike had slipped his arms through the sleeves, Joel began buttoning up the back. After some time had passed, Mike asked, "Are you done yet?"

"Nope. There are a lot more buttons on this than I thought."

"Why are there so many damned buttons?!" Mike griped. "No wonder people in the Middle Ages were so sexually frustrated." Joel couldn't keep himself from laughing at the comment. 

Once he was finished with the buttons, Joel helped Mike pin on the cape. Mike tied the belt around his waist while Joel started lacing up the boots. Like the jumpsuit, they took forever to get into, since there were so many holes.

"Give me your rod, too." Joel held out his hand. Mike pulled the pendant out of his pocket and deposited it in Joel's hand. He knelt down and pulled the rod out of his clothes, then placed it in front of Joel.

"Are you ready?" Joel asked.

"Yeah. I should be fine." That statement was proven wrong when Mike fell face flat onto the floor. "How can women even WALK in these things?!" he snapped indignantly. 

Joel offered his hand to Mike and helped him up. "Maybe you should practice walking around a bit." 

Mike began walking around in circles. Slowly, he was getting used to balancing on the heels. He headed for the door.

"Oh, good," Joel said. "I guess he'll be fine af--" He was interrupted by the sound of Mike screaming as he fell to the floor. Joel slapped a hand across his face. "Spoke too soon."

Mike pushed himself off the floor, then walked in circles for a little while. When he was confident enough, he headed out the door. 

Joel sighed deeply. " _Please_ let this work."  
***  
The villagers were gathered around Chekov, who was tied to a stake. The soldiers from the castle were throwing piles of tinder around Chekov's feet. A soldier in full armor held a torch in one hand. When the soldiers were finished with the tinder, he spoke to Chekov.

"Chekov, you still maintain your innocence. I will give you one final chance. Just tell us you're guilty. There's no point in lying. Maybe then, we will let you go."

"I have done nothing wrong!" Chekov objected. "You can't accuse someone of a crime without proof!"

"You have a red pendant. That's plenty of proof. So, you refuse to change your plea?"

"I am innocent!" Chekov cried vehemently.

After stumbling through Guardia Forest, Mike finally reached the village. After silently cursing the fashion of the Kingdom's royalty, he attempted to divert the villagers' attention from Chekov. "Stop this at once!" he yelled. Everyone ignored him, so he tried another statement. "In the name of my father, stop this at once!" 

It worked. When the villagers and the soldiers saw him, they knelt down in reverence.

"Prince Nigel!" one of the soldiers cried. "How on earth did you recover from those wounds?"

Mike slowly made his way towards the crowd. "That's not your concern," he continued. "Release him."

"But, he is the leader--"

Mike was beginning to get used to the role. He decided to have a little fun with it. "How dare you conduct an execution without the approval of me or my mother! Just because my father is gone does not give you the excuse to take the law into your own hands! Wait until my father hears about this."

"Prince Nigel, please have mercy!" The soldier with the torch threw it down and bowed down to Mike. Mike stomped on the fire, extinguishing it.

"Who started this?" Mike inquired. "Someone must have told everyone to begin murdering all those innocent people." There was no response. "Answer me!"

"Uh..." one of the villagers stammered. "I only participated because the soldiers told me to. There's no way I can turn down their orders! Please forgive me!"

Mike eyed the soldiers suspiciously. "And where did you receive your orders?"

"From the Captain!" one soldier exclaimed. "We can't go against the Captain of the Guards!" Mike realized that the Captain was the one groveling at his feet, since he had the fanciest armor.

"Prince Nigel--" the Captain began.

"Have mercy?" Mike repeated. "Have mercy?! You turned the soldiers and the citizens of Guardia into the pawns of your diabolical chess game. I have no mercy for the likes of you." Mike then decided to   
use his newly acquired power to his advantage. "Knights of Guardia!" 

"Yes, your Highness?" one replied.

"Make preparations for a humiliation ceremony. It shall be held at noon tomorrow, on this spot. I shall have the Captain of the Guards stripped of his knighthood."

"Prince Nigel!" the Captain objected.

"Silence!" Mike crossed his arms over his chest. "You make me sick. Knights, throw him in the dungeon." Two soldiers rose from the ground, then picked up the Captain by his arms before dragging him away. "Now, release him." 

One soldier rose and stepped over to the stake. He drew his sword and sliced the ropes that bound Chekov to the stake. 

Mike spoke again. "Chekov, please come with me. I must speak with you." Chekov hesitated before walking over to Mike. Mike took him back through the forest and into the castle. With great difficulty,   
he climbed the castle stairs, then led Chekov to the Prince's chambers. Inside, Joel and Nigel were waiting for them.

"Hey!" Chekov glanced at Nigel, then at Mike. "You're not the Prince! Who are you?!"

"I'm Mike Nelson, and he's Joel Robinson." Mike pointed at Joel. "Princess Schala asked us to find you."

"Schala?!" Chekov perked up at the mention of her name. "How is she?"

"She wants to find the other two Sages and overthrow Pearl," Joel stated. "Do you have any idea where they could be?"

"None whatsoever," Chekov replied. "We should probably return to the Magic Realm. I have a feeling that Schala is in danger."

"Can we stay here for a little bit?" Mike asked. "I want to see the humiliation ceremony for myself."

"Humiliation ceremony?!" The Prince pushed himself into a seated position. "What did you do out there?!"

"The Captain of the Guards started the whole massacre, so I stripped him of his knighthood."

"I don't think my father would do that," Nigel said. "He would have just killed him."

"That's no good," Mike continued. "If you let him live, but strip him of his knighthood, he'll live in guilt and dishonor for the rest of his life."

Nigel smiled. "I see. That's better than anything my father could come up with. I'll have Mother fix me up so that I can be there tomorrow."

Mike knelt down and began to untie the boots. Joel noticed him and smiled.

"That was quite a convincing performance, `Prince Nigel.' You should be on the stage."

Mike shook his head. "I'm not that good of an actor."

"Are you kidding?" Joel said. "I was watching you from the window the whole time. That was amazing. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn you were him."

"Really?" Mike pulled the boots off his feet. "All I did was try to say things he probably would." 

Chekov gasped, then turned to the two. "Hurry and get dressed!" he told Mike. "I just received a telepathic message from Schala. The Ocean Palace has been completed!"


	13. Chapter 13

Once Joel had helped Mike out of Nigel's clothes, Mike put his regular clothes back on. Chekov tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but may I borrow that pendant? It will only take a second."

"Sure." Mike handed the pendant over to Chekov. 

Chekov pressed the jewels of the two pendants together. A large blue portal materialized before them. 

"Here you go," Chekov said as he handed Mike's pendant back to him. "Come, now. We must hurry, or we will be too late!"  
***  
The portal took them to the entrance to the Ocean Palace. Mike and Joel headed forward, but Chekov headed in a different direction.

"Where are you going?" Joel asked him.

"I'm going to try to disable the Mammon Machine using the back route. You two go challenge Pearl. If I'm not there, something happened to me."

Mike nodded. "All right."

Chekov headed off to the left. Mike began to head forward until Joel stopped him.

"Wait! What if something happens to him?!"

"This is the best we can do," Mike told him. "If he came with us, he'd be Pearl's first victim. If we let him go by himself, he might be safe."

"Well, all right..." Joel stammered as he followed Mike into the main hall.

The Ocean Palace was a meretricious use of technology. It was far more ornate and overdone than was necessary. After all, its only purpose was to house the Mammon Machine. Hundreds of Earthbound Ones had died to fulfill Pearl's dream. Both Joel and Mike reflected on that as they walked towards the hall of the Mammon Machine. 

Suddenly, they heard Schala scream. They ran into the hall, where the Mammon Machine was going haywire.

"Help me!" Schala screamed. She had fallen to the ground.

Pearl, dressed in gaudy robes, walked over to Schala. She pulled Schala up by her ponytail. "Schala, what are you doing?!" she snapped. "I need your help!"

Mike screamed at the top of his lungs. "PEARL!!"

Pearl whirled around to see where the voice was coming from. She gasped in shock when she saw Joel and Mike.

"Mike Nelson?! I thought I had you killed!" She turned to Joel. "Look who's back from the dead! It looks like I'll have to take care of that."

"No!" Schala yelled.

"SHUT UP!" Pearl screamed at Schala. Frightened at the sudden outburst, Schala cowered on the floor.

"However, you're too late," Pearl continued. "There's no way you can take down the Mammon Machine."

"In that case, we came just in time!" Joel stated. "You see, we're not going to take the Mammon Machine down. We're going to take YOU down!"

Pearl bent over, laughing hysterically. "I don't think so. Here comes the guest of honor!"

The whole palace began to shake, and the Mammon Machine shattered. Everyone had to shield themselves from the flying debris. Lavos rose from the spot where the Mammon Machine once stood. It looked exactly like the image Joel and Mike had seen in the year 2133.

"Lavos, get rid of them!" Pearl pointed at the two. 

Lavos sent a very large needle flying across the room. It lodged itself in Mike's leg. Mike cried out in pain as he collapsed. Blood ran down his jeans.

"This should finish you!" Pearl made an arm motion at Lavos. It sent scalding hot lava shooting straight at Mike.

"Mike!" Joel jumped in front of Mike and took the hit. He screamed in agony as the lava burned his skin. He doubled over in pain before hitting the floor. 

Pearl laughed merrily. "You're just as stupid as Clayton told me you were."

"Hold it right there!" The Prophet approached Lavos before taking off his robe. The Prophet turned out to be Magus.

"Damien!" Schala stood up and ran into his arms. "You're alive!"

"Oh, look." Pearl raised an eyebrow. "The young lovers are reunited." She paused before throwing her arms up in the air. "It makes me sick! Almighty Lavos, lend me your powers!"

The entire palace shook again as Pearl's body became enveloped in red light. A demonic grin crossed her face as she thrust her arm forward, sending several large needles at Damien and Schala. Damien raised his left arm and blocked the needles with a beam of blue light. The needles fell harmlessly to the floor.

"You stay out of this," Damien told Pearl. "This is between me and Lavos."

"What do you think you can do?" There was a hint of rising interest in Pearl's voice. 

Damien extended his left arm. A large staff with two scythes on the end materialized before him. He snatched the staff from midair and stepped into an offensive position.

"I've been waiting a long time for this! Now, I must challenge you!"

He held the staff behind him as he ran towards Lavos. When he was close to the shell, he swept his arm forward. The staff sent an arc of purple light at Lavos. However, it had no effect.

"What?!" Damien cried. "How could this be?!"

Red light swirled around Pearl as she vanished. She materialized on top of Lavos' shell. "You fool. Did you really think you stood a chance?" She thrust her arm forward, and a beam of blue light came forth from Lavos. It struck Damien head on, sending him flying across the room.

Pearl eyed Joel and Mike, who were lying injured on the floor. "It appears you two aren't dead yet. I'll take care of that."

"Please, no!" Schala cried as she stood up. 

Pearl scoffed. "Well, if you're going to be such a baby about it, fine. Now that Lavos has awakened, you have outlived your usefulness. I'll kill you first." Pearl chanted a voodoo-like incantation. A vacuum of light began to drag Schala towards Lavos' core.

"Lavos hasn't eaten in centuries," Pearl continued. "I think it would be happy to have a light snack."

Damien extended his throbbing arm towards Schala. He was powerless to stop the execution.

Mike pulled at the needle impaling his leg. It wouldn't budge. Joel casually glanced down at his arm. His skin was covered with burns.

"Joel, can you move?" Mike asked. "Schala needs help."

"No," Schala said. "You three get out while you can. This is all my fault. I assisted Pearl in her diabolical stratagem; and I placed the world in danger. Therefore, I am fully deserving of my divine punishment."

"That can't be true!" Joel objected. "Nobody deserves to die!"

"Oh, really?" Pearl inquired smugly. "Not even those stupid Earthbound Ones? They were just stepping stones to my ultimate goal. Who cares if they live or die?"

"Damn you!" Joel felt wrath coursing throughout his being. He forced himself to stand, then drew his sword. With trembling legs, he staggered over to Schala and Lavos.

Pearl laughed again, enraging Joel even further. Her laugh had become a siren's call to him. She grinned demonically as red light encompassed her and Lavos. 

"This is from me to you!" she yelled. "Now you can join the despicable Earthbound Ones!"

"Joel!" Mike cried. "Get away from there!"

Joel took two steps back before a large blast of energy emanated from Lavos. Joel stared at it like a deer at oncoming headlights before it struck him.

Extreme pain coursed throughout Joel's body, which caused him to drop his sword. The blast absorbed itself into Joel's body. Everyone thought he was fine until the blast inside exploded, leaving nothing left of Joel Robinson except for a pile of ash.

"JOEL!!" Mike choked back his tears. _"NO!!"_

The Ocean Palace began to crumble. Water began cascading in through newly formed cracks.

"Is this it?" Damien asked. "Will we remain at the bottom of the sea forever?"

"No!"

Damien and Mike looked up to see Schala. Her pendant shone wanly.

"The last of my pendant's power will lead you two to safety."

"No!" Damien pulled Schala close. "You can't do this!"

"I only have enough power to save two of us. It's better me than either one of you. After all, this was my fault." Schala began chanting a spell. Mike disappeared, but Damien levitated for some time.

Tears were forming in Schala's eyes. "Goodbye, Damien. I'll always love you." With the end of her incantation, she sent Damien away.

Lavos vanished. Schala presumed it had headed back to from whence it came.

Suddenly, the remaining pieces of the Mammon Machine began to shine. Soon afterwards, the Ocean Palace was destroyed in a massive explosion. The force from the explosion caused a tsunami, sweeping much of the land away. The red rocks sent beams of red light into the Kingdom of Zeal, annihilating every denizen. The beams also caused the rocks to crumble until the once great Kingdom of Zeal sank to the bottom of the sea.


	14. Chapter 14

When he regained consciousness, Mike found himself in a small hut. A blue haired man was tending to the stove in the corner of the room.

"Magus?" Mike asked weakly.

"Call me Damien." Damien turned to face Mike. "I see you're finally awake. You've been out for two days. When some of that rock that came from the sky hit your head, I thought you were done for."

"Rock from the sky?"

"The Ocean Palace blew up after Schala sent us away. The remaining pieces of the Mammon Machine had some sort of reaction with the explosion, which was powerful enough to bring the Kingdom of Zeal  
crashing into the ocean."

Mike couldn't even begin to imagine this. What else had happened when he was out cold?

"Not a single Enlightened One survived. But then again, perhaps we all deserved it. We grew dependent on a dangerous force, and became the puppets of a tyrant."

"Where did Pearl go?" Mike inquired. "I'm going to pay her back for what she did to Joel."

"You don't have to," Damien continued. "She, along with Schala and Chekov, died in the explosion. Chekov came out of hiding at the last minute to try and save Schala, but he couldn't. The explosion caused a tsunami that washed away most of the land. This is the only refuge left."

"This is depressing," Mike said. "No matter what happens, there's no future to live for. What have I been fighting for all this time?"

"That is something you must decide for yourself. I fought to save Schala, but I failed. Even though I lost the most important thing in my life, I must go on, just like you. Schala sacrificed herself so that we could live. We can't waste that sacrifice.”

Damien walked to the other side of the hut and leaned against the wall. "My suffering began right after Pearl ascended the throne. She sent me to the year 600, where I was kidnapped and brainwashed by the  
Mystics. It's ironic that even through all my travels in time, I have ended up back here."

This intrigued Mike. "What did she do to you?"

"Because I openly rebelled against her, she decided to give me `special treatment'. She threw me into the Mammon Machine. That's what happened here." Damien pulled up his sleeve. His arm was covered in skin grafts. 

"I have these all over my body," Damien said. "I was hurt so badly that half of me is not even human anymore."

"If you're not human, then what are you?"

"I have always been an uninvited guest. That much has not changed. When the Mystics found me, it turned out that the Mammon Machine burned most of my bones and tissue away. So, they replaced it with parts from various creatures. Even though I was a stranger, they saved my life. They wanted my Shadow magic that badly."

"You said you were brainwashed," Mike stated. "Is that how they got you to join them?"

"Yes. They bestowed the name `Magus' upon me, then left me to destroy the planet. However, my memories of Schala were powerful enough to break the enchantment. I summoned Lavos to try and destroy it in the year 600. However, its power is far too great. But you and your friend might stand a chance."

"I see. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to help the remaining Earthbound Ones rebuild their village. That is all I can do now. But you, on the other hand, have many things left to do before you depart this mortal coil."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"Your Wind magic may be weaker than my Shadow magic, but you have a power that I do not possess. You have the ability to protect those who are important to you. I have seen the noble spirit that drives you to the battlefield again and again, and it has helped me to realize something." Damien hung his head. 

"I am nothing but a coward. I was so ashamed of myself that I disguised myself after returning to Zeal."

Mike couldn't believe what he had just heard. He was certainly not the hero Damien depicted him as. If there was a hero in the midst of the turmoil, it was Joel.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Damien reached behind the stove and handed Joel's sword to Mike. "I found this lying next to you. It was there all along, like a guardian angel."

Mike ran his fingers down the blade. He felt a twinge of pain before blood started to drip from his right hand. His wound did not matter. What did matter was the sword, which was all he had left of Joel.

"Well then." Damien headed for the door. "Take all the time you need to rest. I will come back later." He walked out the door. 

Mike stared at the sword. Losing his parents was the open wound, but losing his best friend was the coup de grace. If he could only find a way, he would go back in time to stop Joel. However, that was no  
longer possible. He would never again spend precious time with the fair-haired seraph that changed his life.

Mike slumped back onto the ground and wept bitterly.  
***  
Mike pushed himself into a kneeling position when he heard Damien come through the door. 

"Hello again," Damien greeted him. "I just found out something that may interest you."

"What is it?" Mike asked.

"There may be a way to bring your friend back."

Mike jumped when he heard what Damien said. "Are you serious?!"

"Staniv, the Sage of Life, was working on a device called the Phoenix Egg before Pearl sent him away. I just found out that he completed it."

"Where can I find him?"

"He told me that you could meet him at the End of Time. Once you obtain the Egg from him, you'll need to find the Sage Ivanov. Also, you'll want to get yourself some heavy-duty winter clothes."

Mike stood up. "Before I do any of that, can you do me a favor? Send me to Guardia Kingdom, circa the year 2001." He handed his pendant over to Damien.

Damien looked puzzled. "What for?"

"There's something I need to do first." 

"I see." Damien pressed the jewels of the two pendants together. After a blue portal materialized, he gave Mike's pendant back to him. "I wish you luck."

"Thanks." Mike placed the pendant in his pocket and stepped into the portal.


	15. Chapter 15

When the portal closed, Mike found himself in the middle of the Millennial Fair. Every booth was closing down for the night.

A stocky man walked past Mike. Mike remembered him from Lucca's Telepod show. This was her father, Taban.

Mike followed Taban to his house. After Taban went inside, Mike knocked on the door. Lucca answered it and did a double take before smiling at Mike.

"Hey, you're that guy Joel and I saved! Nice to see you again!" Lucca looked around, then asked, "Where's Joel?"

Mike paused before replying. "That's what I came to talk to you about. Where are the `bots?"

"They're in my shop. Come on in!" Lucca held the door open for Mike as he stepped inside. He saw Taban again, and a blonde woman sitting at a table. Next to her was a cane.

"Oh, you're Joel's friend," she said. "Where are you staying?"

"Over in Truce Inn," Mike answered.

"Now, now. You're welcome to spend the night. Taban, go to the Inn and get his stuff."

"Will do, honey!" Taban walked out the door.

The woman extended her arm to Mike. "I'm Lara Vallant, Lucca's mother. Who might you be?"

"I'm Mike Nelson," Mike replied, shaking Lara's hand. "Joel's my best friend."

"Oh, that's wonderful. You can stay in the guestroom upstairs. I'm about to get started with dinner. Do you like pork chops?"

"Yeah.” Mike was excited that he would get to have dinner with the Vallants. He hadn't eaten a home cooked meal in years.

"That's nice. You and Lucca can run along now. Dinner won't be ready for some time."

"My shop's in the back," Lucca stated. "Let's go see the `bots."  
***  
"Anna Kournikova is NOT a babe!" Servo objected.

"Is so!" Crow shot back. 

"Are you boys fighting again?" Lucca asked as she walked through the door. "I never should have let you check out my dad's old calendars." She kicked a box out of her way. Pinup calendars fell out of the overflowing box onto the floor.

"Hey, Mike!" Gypsy greeted him. "What's up?"

"Didn't you say Lucca's one of Joel's friends?" Crow asked Mike. He leaned over and said quietly, "How did Joel EVER pick up a babe like that?" 

"It's not like that," Mike said.

Lucca interrupted the powwow going on in the doorway. "Didn't you have something to tell us?"

"Oh yeah." Mike hung his head. He realized that he should have thought about how he was going to break the news to the `bots. Whatever the case, it was best to be honest. "Joel was killed in combat."

The others stood in stunned silence. Lucca bit her lip, waiting for Mike to say something else.

"There might be a way to resurrect him," Mike continued. "I don't know if it'll work or not. I figured that I should let you guys know what happened in case it doesn't."

Lucca broke the ice. "I see."

"Do you know if it's gonna work?" Gypsy asked.

"No," Mike replied. "It might even be really stupid to try. But, it doesn't matter. I'm going after him."

"Do you have a plan?" Lucca asked. "Is there anywhere specific you need to go, or are you just going to drift across time?"

"Drifting..." Mike's voice trailed off. "That sounds like how I was before I met Joel."

Everyone looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" asked Servo.

"I was just drifting along with you guys, being led by circumstances. When I met Joel, something inside of me snapped. From the moment I met him, I knew we were both the same. We would understand each other." Mike paused, then began again. 

"My feelings were right on the money. We became best friends quickly. We have both risked our lives to save the other. That's why I'm going to find Joel. Without him, I have no purpose in life."

"That's not true!" Gypsy objected. "You take care of us!"

"Sorry, Gyps, but that's how I feel right now."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lucca inquired.

"Yeah, there is," Mike replied. "I need some winter gear in order to save him."

"Ask my dad after dinner. He used to ski, so I'm sure he has some stuff in the back of his closet." Lucca walked to the doorway. "Come on. Dinner will be ready soon." Mike headed out the door and to the kitchen. Lucca poked her head through the doorway.

"If you guys don't wreck the shop again, I'll give you some leftovers!"

"Mike hasn't let us eat people food since the spaghetti incident," Gypsy stated.

Lucca smiled. "We don't have to tell him, do we? See you later!" She headed to the kitchen.

Crow and Servo resumed their argument. Cambot slid next to Gypsy and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I noticed it too," Gypsy said to Cambot. "Mike's changed. I wouldn't call it `change', though. It's more like he..." Gypsy paused, searching for the appropriate word. "Matured."

Cambot nodded, then hung his head.

"Yeah, I know," Gypsy continued. "I'm worried about Joel, too. I hope that Mike's plan works."  
***  
For Mike, having dinner with Lucca and her parents was a bittersweet experience. He enjoyed getting to know the Vallants better, but the meal reminded him of the family dinners his mother used to host. They were experiences he would never get to have again.

Despite that, Mike found it reassuring that he was not the only one who had come across hard times. Four years earlier, Lara had lost the use of her right leg in an equestrian accident. The Vallants had to make many sacrifices for her, both financial and personal. In fact, Lucca and Taban had set up shop at the Millennial Fair to cover the expenses for Lara's upcoming surgery. Even though Lucca was enjoying her days in the spotlight, Taban was very serious about the whole routine.

Lara let Mike stay in the guestroom with the `bots. The bed was comfortable, and Mike was determined to get some rest for his expedition the next day. Sleep did not come very easily that night. 

The night was calm, seemingly unaware of the tumultuous events that had recently come to pass. The `bots were in sleep mode, and were sprawled in various locations on the floor. The Vallants were also asleep. Even Lucca, who usually pulled all-nighters with her machines, was sleeping soundly in her bed. Mike was up with no company except for his own tormented thoughts.

He could still hear Joel's voice, echoing somewhere in his memories. Like Mike, Joel had also been through a lot. He had spent a slightly longer time on the SOL than Mike had, yet he didn't hold the bitterness Mike did. He seemed to be more forgiving and accepting of his consequences. That was why Mike had been in shock when Joel decided to challenge Pearl. 

_Maybe there's something I can learn from that._ Mike rolled onto his side. Once again, he tried to block the sudden stream of consciousness. It was impossible. 

THUMP!

Mike gasped when he heard Cambot's lens hit the floor. Cambot very rarely went into sleep mode, which made him snap out of it more quickly than the other `bots did. 

Mike pushed himself to the edge of the bed. "You okay?" he whispered. 

Cambot nodded and scooted over to the bed. 

"That's good." Mike ran his hand down Cambot's lens. "You didn't seem to get hurt by that. Did you fall?" Cambot nodded again. Mike remained silent for a few seconds before Cambot tapped his hand.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," Mike lied. Cambot tilted back and made a gesture that appeared to be a pout. Mike slumped forward until his forehead almost touched Cambot's lens. "You're right, I'm not."

Cambot made a series of gestures that any other bystander would mistake for a drunken game of Charades. 

Mike leaned back and rested his head on the mattress. "I know it's going to be dangerous. I know it might not work. But I'm going to go find Joel anyway. Without him, my life is empty. I'm going after   
him, no matter what. Even if I have to head to the ends of the earth."

Somewhere in the back of his system, Cambot felt the first vague stirrings of concern. He had never seen Mike like this before. 

"I'll...come back with him." Mike closed his eyes, and finally felt the blessed repose of sleep come upon him. Puzzled, Cambot poked Mike with his lens again, but received no response. He paused before curling up to go to sleep again. After all, Mike wouldn't be anxious if he was sleeping, so Cambot didn't have to worry about him for the time being.  
***  
Mike placed his arm over his eyes when the sun began to rise. He was incredibly tired, but he had promised himself he would leave before anyone else woke up. If he spent too much time saying good-bye, leaving everyone behind would depress him.

As Mike started to get dressed, the bell in Leene Square started ringing. Mike grumbled to himself, wishing someone would attach a few packs of C4 to that goddamned bell. Maybe then, he could have time alone with his thoughts. He took his rod off the dresser before opening the door.

Mike tiptoed down the wooden stairs, and was careful to skip the one that creaked. He had already solved the problem of how he would return to the End of Time. Since the machines in Leene Square were able to distort the time-space continuum, he could use them to his advantage. He unlocked the front door and quietly slipped out.

The sun poked up over the horizon, sending its incandescent beams throughout the pink morning sky. It was the most beautiful sunrise Mike had ever seen. Then again, he was never up early enough to watch a sunrise.

Leene Square was empty, so Mike was able to go about his business without a hitch. He pulled down a lever on one of the machines, then stepped on the left platform. A blue portal materialized, and through some odd coincidence, took him directly to the End of Time. 

There, the old man greeted Mike. "I figured you would show up."

"Do you know where I can find Staniv?" Mike inquired.

"Of course I do, but why on earth do you want to see him?"

"I heard that there might be a way to bring Joel back."

The old man reached into his pockets. "To bring a loved one back, eh? That's what everyone wants. Joel must be proud to have a friend like you." The man pulled a small egg out of his pocket. "Here. Head to the future Green Bay...or, what's left of it. There's a giant mountain there called Death Peak. It'll be right there, so you can't miss it. Ivanov will be waiting for you."

Mike placed the egg in his pocket before realizing something. "Hey, wait a minute. Are you Staniv?"

Staniv chuckled. "That's what they used to call me many years ago."

Mike headed up the stairs to the blue portals. Staniv had been right under his nose the entire time. Perhaps if he had known, Schala and Chekov could still be alive.

He stepped into one of the portals and was whisked away to Green Bay.


	16. Chapter 16

Death Peak loomed over the barren landscape. The foreboding heights gave Mike some second thoughts about his journey. He dismissed them once a tall man approached him.

"Staniv sent you, correct? I'm Ivanov, the Sage of Reason. However, that title no longer serves any purpose." 

"I guess not," Mike stated. "How do I get up this mountain?"

"I already undid its seal at Staniv's request. It's really slippery, so watch your step. Otherwise, I'll be scraping you off the ground with a putty knife. Once you reach the summit, use the Phoenix Egg that Staniv gave you."

"If there's no seal, then can I just go right now?" Mike asked.

"Oh, sure. Go ahead." Mike began to walk towards the mountain, but stopped when he heard one last comment from Ivanov.

"Even after I told him all that, he's still going up there? Some people never learn."

Mike shot him an icy glare before heading towards the base of the mountain.  
***  
Even though Mike had put on all the winter clothes he had borrowed from Taban, the biting cold wind still managed to make him shiver. Every part except his face was covered, but it would be amazing if he made it off the mountain without hypothermia or frostbite. He then thought of something he neglected to consider: how would he get Joel off the mountain? The snow was very beautiful, but its angelic white costume disguised its lethal force.

For every step Mike took, the ice made him slide two steps back. As he edged closer to the summit, the wind blew harder, sending the blowing snow into his eyes. The biting wind chilled him to the bone, and made his fingers go numb. When he reached a lone cedar tree, Mike stopped and pulled the egg out of his pocket. If he didn't do anything to warm himself up, he would be joining Joel on the other side very soon.

The egg sparkled, then floated out of Mike's hand. It levitated in the air for a few seconds before shattering. 

There was nothing left for Mike to do. Joel was gone forever. Mike fell to his knees and pounded his fist on the ground while cursing under his breath.

_It was ridiculous to think I could bring him back._ Mike choked back a sob. A tear fell down his numb face, stinging his cheek. He resorted to the only thing he knew how to do at that point. He gazed up at the sky and began screaming at the top of his lungs, cursing the divine beings that had given him all his false hope. There was no response except for the howling wind.

Mike let himself collapse onto the ground. The snow soaked his clothes, and the dampness would eventually kill him. That no longer mattered. He allowed himself to break down and sobbed hysterically. "Joel...Don't leave me...I…”

The snow ceased to shimmer as the sunlight went away. Mike looked up to see the moon moving in front of the sun. He vanished in a beam of blue light.

Once his eyes recovered from the brilliant light, Mike found himself back in the Ocean Palace. Joel stood in front of Lavos, who was preparing an energy beam. Mike looked around the room to see Schala, Damien, Pearl--and himself, lying on the floor with a bloodstained needle lodged in his leg. What was really bizarre was that nobody was moving. 

"A time freeze? I never thought it possible."

"Huh?" Mike turned when he heard the voice behind him. Damien stood before him, with his staff in hand. 

"I was searching for you," Damien stated. "Something terrible has happened."

"How did you get here?!"

"Never mind that. First things first." Damien placed his staff on the ground and walked over to Joel. He pulled Joel away from Lavos and over to Mike. The blue light shone again, and Mike felt the cold wind of Death Peak on his face once more. 

"Joel? Damien?" Mike looked around, and sure enough, he was back on the mountain. Joel sat on the ground in front of him.

"Joel!" Mike threw his arms around Joel and squeezed him tightly.

"Mike." Joel was unable to move his arms since Mike was clinging onto him, so he compensated by placing his hands around Mike's waist. 

"Joel..." Mike rested his head on Joel's shoulder. Tears streamed down his face. "Don't ever do that again..."

"It's fortunate we're all here," Damien stated. "I can use the two pendants to get us off this mountain. Joel, you must be really weak after the impact, so hold onto Mike while we're in the time-space continuum. Don't let go of him."

"I won't ever let go," Joel said. "Never again."

Damien reached into Mike's pocket and took out the pendant. He pressed it against the pendant he was wearing. A blue portal materialized before them.

"Come on, Joel." Mike pulled on Joel's arms. "Let's go back." Joel smiled and closed his eyes. "Joel?" A look of concern crossed Mike's face.

Damien smiled. "Let him sleep. He's earned his rest." He bent over and lifted Joel off the ground.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Mike stood up and stepped into the portal. Damien followed him, carrying Joel in his arms.


	17. Chapter 17

Damien followed Mike to Lucca's house. Mike knocked on the door. Lucca opened the door and gasped at the sight before her. 

"Joel!" She leaned back into the house. "You guys!" she yelled to the `bots. "Get over here right now!" She looked at Joel quizzically. "Didn't you say he was alive?"

"He is," Damien replied. "The resurrection and time travel must have sapped his energy."

"Lucca, what do you want?!" Servo snapped indignantly as he came to the door. "I was just about to sink Crow's destroyer!" The other `bots followed closely behind him.

Gypsy was the first to notice Damien and Joel. "JOEL!!" 

Mike grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, he's back. Somehow."

"Well, come on in," Lucca said. "We can talk inside."

"Joel needs to rest," Damien stated. "Is there anywhere I can take him?

"There's a guest room upstairs. I'll show you where." Damien and Lucca headed up the stairs, with the unconscious Joel in tow.

Mike was accosted by a barrage of questions from the `bots. Where did he go? How did he get there? What did he do there? How did he get Joel back? Mike ceaselessly answered their questions for almost an hour before standing up.

"Hey!" Crow pouted. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to check on Joel. You can talk to Damien if you want." Mike headed up the stairs, but stopped when he heard Servo say something.

"Damien? You mean the Vampire Lestat?"

Mike sighed. "Let's just say he's been through a lot, okay?" He continued up the stairs, displeased with the other snide comments Crow and Servo began making.  
***  
Mike pushed the bedroom door open. Damien was sitting on a wicker chair next to the bed. Joel was awake, but did nothing except stare at the ceiling.

Mike leaned over the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Joel turned his head to face Mike. "Tired."

"Naturally," Damien stated. "Throwing you into the time-space continuum right after your resurrection probably wasn't the best way to go. However, it was necessary. Despite my efforts, it seems that even Mike didn't escape unscathed."

"What?" Mike asked. Damien pointed to Mike's hands, which had a bluish tint. 

"Relax, it's only frostbite," Damien said.

"Only frostbite?!" Mike cried in disbelief. "People lose their fingers because of it!"

"It doesn't look that bad. You should have seen how the Earthbound Ones looked." Damien stood up and walked to the door. "I'll get you something for that." He closed the door behind him.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a little while. Finally, Mike said the only thing that came to mind.

"You're back."

Joel smiled. "That's it? That's all you're going to say?"

Mike looked down at the floor. "Well, no, but..." 

"Don't worry. I'm not good at this either." Joel changed the subject. "What happened after the Ocean Palace?"

"The Kingdom of Zeal fell. Literally. Damien is the only Enlightened One who survived."

"The only one?" Joel repeated. "Then, Schala..."

"She, Pearl, and Chekov died when the Palace blew up."

Damien opened the door. He had a bottle of lotion in one hand. "Actually, Pearl never died. Or, if she did, Lavos pulled through for her."

"What?!" Mike wondered if this was the terrible thing Damien had referred to earlier.

"Sometime before the explosion, she junctioned herself with Lavos somehow. Now they exist as one lifeform."

Joel frowned. "So, it isn't over after all."

"No. She built herself some type of aerial fortress. It rose from the sea where the Ocean Palace once stood. Currently, she's terrorizing the Earthbound Ones, but I doubt she'll be content to limit herself   
to that."

"How could she even merge with Lavos?" Joel inquired.

"Because Pearl summoned Lavos, it must consider her to be its master. It would do anything for her, even sacrifice its own body to keep her alive. She and Lavos are now a new, codependent existence."

Mike pondered that for a moment. "So, if we kill one, the other dies?" 

Damien shook his head. "It's impossible. Getting into the fortress would be our first step, but even if we had a plane, there's the security system to deal with. Also, you can't take Lavos on directly. Remember what happened to Joel?"

Joel got an idea. "If we can't get him from the outside, we'll take him down from the inside."

Damien gasped in disbelief. "With what?! A grenade launcher? A hydrogen bomb? A vial of the Ebola virus? None of us can get our hands on something that powerful."

Joel shrugged. "If we can't obtain weapons, I'll build them. It's easy to get ahold of seemingly harmless materials."

"Uh..." Mike reached for the lotion in Damien's hand. "Can I have that, please?"

Damien ignored him. "What do you think you can do? You can't pick up a pack of uranium at the grocery store. If you could prove your ability to me, I'd be more than happy to go along with you. But, there's nothing you can do. There's nothing more I can do, either."

Joel turned his head to face Damien. "That's it? You're going to lose before you even fight? Against the very woman who made you suffer?"

"If you're trying to convince me to join you, you'll fail. Get back to me when you come up with something logical." Damien glared at Joel, then threw the bottle of lotion at Mike before stomping out the door.

Joel shook his head. "Who pissed in his cornflakes this morning?"

Mike opened the bottle and squeezed some of the lotion onto his hands. "Take it easy. His fiancée was just killed."

"It doesn't matter. We can beat Pearl without him. It'll be easy to disable her security system if I can get ahold of some magnesium."

A disconcerted look crossed Mike's face. "The stuff my grandma used to drink?!"

Joel laughed. "I mean the material in road flares. Lucca's dad has some fireworks in his shop. If I combine the explosive powder with the magnesium, the powder will act as an igniter and the resulting explosion will..." Joel noticed the bewildered look reappear on Mike's face. "You have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, do you?" 

"Not at all." Mike shook his head. "I'll leave the science up to you."

"Leave everything up to me. I have an idea of how we might get in."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking. 

Mike sighed. "I knew I couldn't leave them alone." He left the room and headed down the stairs. The remains of a lamp were scattered on the floor around Damien, who had his staff drawn. Crow's lacrosse   
headpiece was stuck on one of the spikes on the end of the staff.

Mike placed his hands on his hips. "Thanks a lot. Now I'm going to have to reattach that."

"I wouldn't have hurt him if he weren't so damn annoying." Damien pulled the piece of metal off his staff. "It's incredible. How can someone like you hang out with the likes of them?" He glared at Servo, who had just hovered into the room.

"They're my friends." Mike knew he had to go easy on Damien, but found it hard to resist the urge to punch his lights out.

"So, you hang out with a wannabe scientist and a group of mechanical kindergartners? Interesting." Damien turned and began to head for the front door. Mike grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Mike spoke through gritted teeth. "What did you just say?"

"What are you, deaf?" 

Upon hearing this, Mike shoved Damien towards the door with both hands. "If you ever insult my friends again, I'll tear you a new one."

"Is this what I get for saving your life?" Damien opened the front door. "If I had known this was going to happen, I would have left you to die in the Earthbound Village." He stepped outside and slammed the   
door behind him. Mike stared at the door for a few seconds.

"What a dickweed," Servo muttered.

"I'm not mad at him," Mike said. "He's only putting on a show for the rest of us so he doesn't seem weak. What he really wants to do is break down and cry." Mike knelt down and picked up Servo. "So, don't be too hard on him. I know how he feels. I act the same way. Give him time to get over what's happened over the last few days, and he'll be a little more friendly."

"Hey..." Servo's voice trailed off.

"What?"

"You're beginning to sound like Joel."

Mike smiled. "It's strange. I've only known him for a week or so, but it feels like I've known him for years."

"What are you going to do once the Millennial Fair is over?" Servo inquired.

"Huh?" Mike had forgotten all about the fair. Once it was over, he'd have to leave and find a new place to live. He didn't mind finding a new place after getting kicked out of his apartment. What really   
bothered him was that he'd have to leave Joel, and probably wouldn't ever see him again. "I...prefer not to think about that."

"But tomorrow is the last night! Where are we gonna live?"

"Uh..." Mike looked down at the floor. "Hey, where did Crow's headpiece go?" He put Servo down on the ground. "Damien must have it. I'll go get it!" He opened the front door and ran outside. "Damien!   
Wait for me!"

Servo stared blankly at the open door. Gypsy and Cambot were right. Mike had changed, and he wasn't sure he liked it.  
***  
The process was long and excruciating, but Joel didn't care. He was happy that he finally had something to apply himself to. 

Lucca owned a set of road flares, and happily donated them to Joel for his cause. She had originally planned to use them on the final night of the Millennial Fair, but the castle scrapped the event she   
and her father had been in charge of. Taban had given him permission to experiment with the fireworks in his shop. He sliced open a few with a small knife and dumped out the powder inside. After that, he   
would combine the two and roll them up in the fireworks casing. He didn't have to use anything fancy to hold together the homemade explosives. All he needed was rubber cement and a roll of masking tape. 

Nobody was awake, but Damien and Mike hadn't come back for the longest time. Joel was beginning to get a little worried.  
***  
Mike had discovered how incredibly easy it was to get lost in Guardia Kingdom. The city surrounding the castle was much bigger than it looked. He had been down every street, through every back alley, and   
there was still no sign of Damien--or Lucca's house, for that matter.

The neon lights of a nearby bar illuminated the dark alley Mike was in. The wind blew a newspaper page over the grimy cobblestone street. A lone figure stood on the banks of a polluted river.

"Hey." The person turned to face Mike. "What is this?"

"What is what?" Mike asked.

"This wet stuff. I've never seen anything like it."

Mike gawked in disbelief. "You've never seen water?!"

"This is water?" Damien glanced down at the river. "I've never seen it in its natural form. You couldn't see the land below the Kingdom of Zeal. Besides, the Enlightened Ones only drank wine. It was supposed to be a sign of our superiority to the Earthbound Ones."

"You've never been around water?" Mike asked. "My dad always used to take me swimming. We'd drive out to a creek in the country. He'd go fishing, and I would spend hours in the water."

"There's one thing I've noticed here," Damien stated. "All those who live on land seem to be happier with simple pleasures. Everyone here is happy just having a drink with friends, or playing organized   
sports. Everything involves being equal to your peers. We Enlightened Ones were constantly competing among ourselves to form a social hierarchy."

"You never had any fun?" Mike asked.

"I certainly don't consider my life there fun. I hoped things would change once Schala became Queen. However..."

"I know." Mike approached Damien and looked him in the eyes. "Joel and I also suffered because of what Pearl did. I don't know about him, but that's why I want to fight her. I think it's the only way I can get on with my life."

Damien smiled. "You two are fearless. I wish I were more like you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Crow's headpiece. "Here. This is yours."

"Thanks." Mike took the piece from Damien's hand. He gazed at his surroundings. "I think I had better head back now. I have no idea where I am."

"Wait. Let me go with you."

"Are you done looking at the water?"

Damien shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Let me fight with you."

Mike tilted his head. "Are you serious?"

"I think there's something I can learn from the two of you." He stepped over to Mike. "Come on, let's go back. We'd better get an early start tomorrow."  
***  
"JOEL!" Crow and Servo ran into Lucca's workshop. Crow was holding a pair of cymbals, and Servo had a kazoo in his beak. "Wake up!" 

Joel was lying face down at the table where he had been working. He jumped when Servo blew the kazoo in his ear. "Huh?" 

"Hey!" Crow began banging the cymbals. He liked the sound they made, so he banged them a few more times. "Sleepyhead! Get up!"

"What the hell's this racket?!" Lucca stepped into the workshop. She wore a sleeveless purple nightgown and matching slippers. It was obvious she had just climbed out of bed. She then noticed the kazoo in Servo's beak. "What's with the kazoo?"

Servo opened his beak to speak, and the kazoo fell out. "The bugle wouldn't fit."

Lucca grinned. "You've got it all wrong. When you really want to wake someone up, you do something like this." She headed over to a nearby table and picked up a chainsaw. Once she fired it up, she placed the blade on top of a nearby plank of steel. The resulting noise was enough to make Joel jump into an upright position.

"Cool!" Crow said in amazement. "Can I try that thing?"

"NO!" The three turned towards the source of the voice. Damien and Mike stood in the doorway. 

"Lucca, what the hell's gotten into you?" Mike asked. "You're actually going to let them use power tools?!"

"Why not? If they break, I'll fix them." She noticed that Joel was sitting up. "Morning, Joel."

"Huh?" Joel put a hand to his face. He realized there was a page of an instruction manual stuck to it. 

Damien grinned. "Well, there's something I've never seen before."

Joel pulled the paper off his face. "What?"

Damien gestured towards Joel's messy hair. "A scientist with bed head."

"Hey, you're right!" Lucca said. "I think my mom's got some products upstairs to take care of that." With that, she ran out of the shop.

Joel narrowed his eyes in a mock pout. "Are you guys making fun of me?"

Mike smiled. "Once Joel fixes his hair, we're heading to the Earthbound Village."

"Mike! Even you?!" Joel picked up some of his homemade explosives and put them in his pocket. "Did everyone decide to pick on me today?"

"Oh, no," Damien said. "I just think that if you're going to save the future, you shouldn't be having a bad hair day. You need to look more noble." Everyone except Joel started laughing.

"Damien!" Joel tried to sound offended, but he also succumbed to a fit of laughter.  
***  
Joel, Mike, and Damien headed out of Lucca's house, followed by the Vallants.

"All set?" Lucca asked.

"Yeah," Joel replied. "I made everything we'll need to break into the fortress. Please take care of the `bots while we're gone."

Lucca grinned. "Sure thing."

"Come back soon," Lara said. "Before those damn `bots tear up my house again!" She brandished her cane. Joel shivered.

Taban broke his silence. "Back inside, girls. We don't want to get caught in the time portal." Lucca and Lara nodded, and Lucca headed back inside. Taban helped his wife inside the house.

Damien brandished his pendant. "Mike, can I borrow yours for a second?"

"Sure." Mike pulled his pendant out of his pocket and gave it to Damien. Damien pressed the jewels of the pendants together, and they were whisked away to the Earthbound Village.


	18. Chapter 18

The Earthbound Village was still a small, filthy hovel. That had not changed. What was different, however, was that the village was now abandoned.

"What happened here?" Damien wondered aloud.

"All the houses are still standing," Joel observed. "It couldn't have been anything drastic."

Joel and Damien headed into the village. Mike stopped in his tracks once he noticed the fortress in the sky.

The fortress appeared to have been slapped together from what little remained of the Ocean Palace. The metal was corroded, and the shoddy structure made the castle look as if it was about to collapse. The castle didn't look too menacing--until Mike noticed the large metal cylinder attached to the bottom.

"There you are!" Joel came running over to Mike. "Don't run off like that! You had us worried!"

"What is that?" Mike asked no one in particular.

Damien glanced towards the sky as he approached the two. "Interesting. That piece wasn't attached to the bottom before."

Joel looked up at the object. "I'm not exactly sure, but that appears to be a cannon of some sort."

"A cannon?" Damien repeated. "Why?"

"If Pearl hasn't proven her so-called superiority to the Earthbound Ones yet, that's how she'll do it." Joel shook his head. "No wonder they're all gone. They're probably in hiding, but I doubt any shelter would protect them from a cannon blast that large."

"Damn her," Damien muttered. "Annihilating the Enlightened Ones wasn't enough for her. We lost a dynasty and all its knowledge because she gave out a few bloodthirsty orders." He clenched his hands into fists. 

"So, we'll have to stop her before she uses that thing," Mike stated. "But, how are we going to get into that castle? We don't have a plane or--" Mike casually glanced at Joel, then noticed the look on Joel's face. "Don't tell me you have an idea."

"I'm not sure if this'll even work," Joel said. "But, it's probably our only chance." He turned to Damien. "Is there any point higher than this? The higher, the better."

"There's a hill up north," Damien replied. "Why?"

"When I was a kid, I used to set off model rockets. Sometimes, I'd even attach a small engine to them. That worked the same way that setting off the bombs I made might work. If I use enough firework   
powder to act as an extra ignition switch when I light them, they'll climb high enough into the atmosphere to reach the fortress."

"You're probably right," Mike said. "It might take out something. It's a risk, but we're fresh out of options."

"What if it doesn't work?" Damien asked.

Joel shrugged. "I'll just make some more bombs. No big deal. Why don't you think positively for a change?"

"There's one thing I'm worried about," Mike added. "Didn't most of your rockets land on the roof?"

"Uh, just a few of them," Joel replied. "But I got better at it."

Mike grinned. "More like 10 or 20."

"Who told you that?!"

Mike's grin grew bigger. "I have some very reliable sources."

Joel sighed. "That's it. I'm sealing Crow's beak with WD-40 when we get back."

"It's strange," Damien said. "If someone had come to me with a half-assed plan like this two weeks ago, I would have brushed them off with a laugh. But now, I'm ready to go for it." Damien motioned towards a point beyond the village. "There's a steep hill behind the village. It shouldn't take very long to reach it. Let's go."  
***  
"Where do you suppose everybody went?" Mike asked Damien as they reached the top of the hill.

"Probably somewhere underground," Damien replied. "They're very good at hiding." He looked down at Joel, who was placing his makeshift missiles on the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Even if these reach the fortress, I don't think there will be enough firepower to do any damage," Joel stated. "So, I'm going to try something else. Mike, can I see your pendant for a moment?" 

"Uh…sure." Mike handed his pendant to Joel. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," Joel said as he drew his sword He placed the pendant on the ground and stabbed the red rock with the sword. A small piece of the rock broke off. "Here you go." Joel handed the pendant back to Mike.

Damien's eyes grew wide. "Don't even tell me…"

"Exactly," Joel said as he bundled all of the explosives together with a piece of twine. "This'll let me violate the laws of physics."

"I'm getting the hell out of here," Damien said before running back towards the base of the hill.

"Relax," Joel muttered as he placed the small rock shard in the middle of the bundle of explosives. He took a book of matches out of his pocket. 

"Um…" Mike began.

"What?" Joel asked as he lit a match. 

"Maybe Damien's right." With that, Mike ran from the area.

Joel shook his head and lit one of the explosives. The fire spread to the other fuses in the bundle. With that, Joel stood up and started running after Mike.

The small missiles soared into the air and arced towards the cannon on the bottom of the aerial fortress. When it looked as if the missiles would fall, a red light shone from the center of the bundle. Several small red lights shone from the base of the fortress.

"I get it now!" Mike said excitedly. "But, how did you know she'd put that rock in her fortress?"

"Damien said it rose from where the Ocean Palace once stood, so I assumed the rock was in there," Joel replied. "Besides, I'm sure she'd want to take advantage of her power source for as long as she possibly could."

The red lights on the fortress vanished. The red light in the middle of the missile bundle shone brightly before the missiles exploded. The explosion sent the hilt of the cannon crashing to the hilltop the three were on. 

Damien approached the cannon's hilt. "Well, this is convenient."

Mike turned to Joel. "Did you know it would do that?"

"Not at all," Joel replied. "I assumed that if I put the rock in the middle of the explosives, it would react with the fortress and create an entrance of some sort. I just didn't know it would bring down that cannon."

Damien peered up at the aerial fortress. "The base of the cannon is still attached," he stated. "Once we get up there, we can find a way to get in."

Mike's jaw dropped. "Don't tell me we have to climb all the way up that thing!"

"I'm afraid so," Damien said. "Come on. Let's hurry before Pearl notices."  
***  
Climbing up the cannon's base reminded Joel of climbing trees. Once he had a firm grip on the sides, he was able to push himself up higher with his feet. It was the same as climbing trees with no branches. However, this was nothing like climbing as a kid. Instead of having the ground to worry about, he had to worry about falling into the ocean. One wrong move could send him careening to his death.

The sun was high in the sky when they had first started climbing, but now it was beginning to dip into the horizon. This worried Joel. If it got too dark, they wouldn't be able to find a way into the fortress. Fortunately, they were coming to what Joel assumed to be a piece of scaffolding. 

Joel looked down at Damien and Mike. He waited for them to catch up to him. 

"Do you suppose we can get in here?" he inquired, motioning towards the scaffolding.

Damien nodded. "That's the only weak spot on the fortress I can see." Damien raised his arm. Once his staff appeared, he grabbed it and swung it at the scaffolding. One of the scythes latched onto the scaffolding and sent it, as well as a piece of the fortress, tumbling away. 

"I'll go in first." Damien pushed his staff into the hole. Once he got a firm grip on the ground inside, he jumped off the cannon's base and used the staff to pull himself up into the hole. 

"Okay, but how are we gonna get in?" Mike asked.

Damien extended the smooth end of the staff outside the hole. "Grab this."

Gingerly, Mike grabbed the staff with one arm. Once he had assured himself that he wouldn't fall, he placed his other hand on the staff. Damien pulled him up into the hole and placed the staff on the ground. Mike crawled away from the hole as Damien repeated the process to get Joel inside the fortress.

"We're in," Damien said to no one in particular. "We just need to find Pearl and Lavos." 

"Okay, but how are we going to do that?" Mike asked.

Damien stood up and looked at the hallway in front of him. The hallway broke off into two separate passageways. One was a large, well-lit passage, but the other was dark and narrow.

"Which way?" Damien turned to look at Joel and Mike. "It looks like the passageways meet further down, but we'll have to split up."

Joel stood up and looked down the hallway. "Yeah, that one's only big enough for one person." He started to walk towards Damien. "I'll go."

"Wait!" Mike lunged forward and grabbed Joel's left wrist. "I'll go. I can use my rod as a light." 

A slight smile crossed Damien's face. "I'll go. I'll meet you two where the roads cross." With that, he headed down the dark passageway.

Joel turned to face Mike. Mike was still holding Joel's wrist, and he had a determined look on his face. 

"I could have gone," Joel said.

Mike tightened his grip on Joel's wrist. "I gave you my word. I'm not letting you go again." 

"But—" Joel began.

"If something happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself." Mike placed his other hand on top of Joel's left hand. "Don't worry. Stay close to me."

Joel nodded. Mike let go of Joel and began to head for the larger passageway. 

"Mike." 

Mike stopped when he heard Joel's voice. He turned to face him.

"I will. But what about you?"

Mike shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'll protect you. I promise." Mike turned and headed down the passageway.

Joel stood in stunned silence for a moment. He felt himself go limp. "Mike..." he whispered in a small voice. He then looked up and ran into the passageway after Mike.


	19. Chapter 19

Joel and Mike continued down the passageway. Neither one of them was keeping track of how long they had been walking. They had not met up with Damien as they had hoped. 

Joel broke the silence. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Mike shrugged. All that was on his mind was finding Damien. "What?"

"We've encountered absolutely no resistance since we came in here. You'd think the inside of the fortress would be heavily guarded, but it isn't. That worries me."

Mike began to catch on. "Are you saying this is a trap?"

"Maybe," Joel replied. "After we got in here, it's been much too easy. I wonder if—"

Joel's words were cut off when there was an explosion in the distance. Several pieces of the ceiling came crashing down. Mike pulled Joel away from a piece that collapsed near them.

"Where's Damien?" Mike asked in a worried voice.

Joel drew his sword. "Come on." 

Mike turned on his rod as the two ran down the passageway.  
***  
The pair reached an anteroom that contained the bodies of many Earthbound Ones. The floor tile in the center of the room was gone, and several pieces of it littered the room.

"What happened here?" Mike wondered aloud. 

Joel knelt down and examined the bare spot on the floor. "This was the epicenter of the explosion. Everything just flew out of the center."

"Yeah, but...what happened?" Mike asked again. He looked down at one of the bodies on the floor. Despite the explosion, there were no burn marks or cuts of any kind on the body. "Wait a minute."

"Did you find something?" Joel asked.

Mike knelt down next to the body. It was untouched except for an expression of horror fixed on the figure's face. "I think Damien did this. There's no other explanation for this other than his Shadow   
magic."

"You're right."

"Huh?!" Startled by the voice, Mike turned to see a figure standing in the passageway. "Who are you?!"

"I see it wasn't a mistake taking you to Guardia Kingdom. After all, you've come this far." The sage Ivanov stepped out of the shadows.

"You brought us here?" Joel asked, confused.

Ivanov nodded. "Staniv ordered me to take you to Guardia Kingdom after you jumped off that building. He sensed that you had the willpower to use magic, and he knew you'd find your way to the End of Time." Ivanov turned to Mike. "You, however, were a special case. I didn't know what that pendant was going to do, so I used my magic to put you in a coma before taking you to Guardia Kingdom."

Joel frowned. That explained his lack of memories between the jump and his arrival in Guardia Kingdom. 

"Why did you knock me out?" Mike asked. 

Ivanov glared at Mike. "You possess that pendant. I didn't know whether I could trust you. Still, Staniv sensed you had the powers of Wind, so I took you to Guardia Kingdom."

"Why Guardia Kingdom?" Joel asked Ivanov. "Why not the End of Time?"

"Guardia Kingdom is safer for those whose powers haven't awakened yet. Once you were ready, you found your way to the End of Time. Staniv summoned you because he knew you would be able to challenge Pearl and make things right again."

Mike turned to Joel. "Let's go end this." 

Joel nodded. "What about Damien?"

"He went on ahead," Ivanov stated. "His powers are almost at their maximum level. There's no other way he would have been able to take out all of those Earthbound Ones. I can understand why he would kill demonically possessed people, but if he reaches his full potential..."

"Then what?" Joel asked. 

Ivanov was about to answer when another explosion rocked the fortress. A scream echoed through the passageway.

"Damien!" Joel took off running in the direction of the scream.

"Damien is not to be trusted," Ivanov said to Mike. "Just be aware that once his full power awakens, it may be too dangerous for the three of you."

Mike shook his head. "I don't care. I'm going." With that, he ran in the direction that Joel had earlier.

Ivanov watched Mike disappear into the darkness of the passageway. 

"Fool me once, shame on you," Ivanov said to himself. "Fool me twice…it'll be the end for all three of you."  
***  
At the end of the hallway as a large anteroom that contained a rebuilt Mammon Machine. Pearl stood on top of the machine. She held a gold staff in her left hand. Damien stood a few feet away from the   
Mammon Machine, staff in hand.

"I guess I underestimated you," Pearl said as Joel and Mike rushed into the room. "But that's all right. It means I don't have to hold back."

The Mammon Machine rumbled as Pearl raised her staff. A wall of red light rushed towards the three.

Damien raised his staff. "Dark Matter!" Gray light shot out of the staff in every direction. Several beams of light struck Joel and Mike, knocking them over. The entire anteroom began to shake.

Damien and Pearl aimed their staffs at one another. The beams of red and gray light struck one another head on, sending several smaller beams of light all across the room. 

Mike wiped away the blood trickling down his forehead. "Maybe Ivanov was right."

Joel pushed himself up into a seated position. "I guess Lavos doesn't have all the power Pearl thought it did."

"How do you know that?" asked Mike.

"She's channeling the Mammon Machine," Joel explained. "Pearl and Lavos are now a codependent lifeform, but Pearl's using the Mammon Machine to attack. If she has to rely on the machine, she can't be as powerful as we thought."

"Let me guess," Mike said. "You've got an idea."

Joel nodded. "The Mammon Machine isn't as powerful now as it used to be. I should be able to disable it. If you and Damien keep Pearl distracted, I can cut off her power."

Mike watched Pearl and Damien for a few moments. The two were in a stalemate.

"You go do that," Mike told Joel. "I've got an idea of my own."

Joel and Mike stood up and took off running in opposite directions. Pearl noticed and sent a beam of red light at them. 

"Oh no, you don't," Mike said as he raised his rod. "Rolling Thunder!"

Several bolts of lightning sprung out of the tip of the rod. The lightning collided with the red beam of light. Both disappeared in a surge of electricity.

"Is that all you've got?!" Mike taunted Pearl. "Can't you even use your own strength instead of the Mammon Machine?"

A devious grin crossed Pearl's face. "Thanks for the idea."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Damien snapped.

Pearl raised her staff and disappeared. A few seconds later, red light began to radiate from the Mammon Machine.

"Nice going," Damien snarled. "She's absorbed herself into the Mammon Machine." Damien scowled when he noticed the smile on Mike's face. "What the hell's so funny?!"

Mike just smiled. This was what he had wanted.

The Mammon Machine began to rumble. A red ball of light began floating above the machine. It grew bigger every second.

"Now I'm going to do what I should have done to you the first time!" Pearl shouted. "Goodbye, children!"

Damien and Mike raised their weapons. All of a sudden, the red ball of light disappeared.

"What's happening?!" Pearl cried in alarm. 

Joel climbed on top of the Mammon Machine. He threw a circuit breaker onto the floor.

"What did you just do?!" Pearl demanded.

"You're not as smart as I used to think you were," Joel stated. "You've just made it really easy for us." 

"What?!" Pearl cried in shock.

"You've absorbed yourself into the Mammon Machine," Joel explained. "The fact that you were using it to attack us tells me that you don't have enough power to get yourself back out."

Pearl gasped in horror as she realized her mistake.

Joel grinned. "Now…what do you suppose will happen when I take out the main circuit?" he asked coyly.

"No!" Pearl screamed in horror. "Don't!"

Joel climbed down from the top of the Mammon Machine and reached into the opening he had carved in the back. He grabbed the main circuit breaker and yanked it out.

_"NOOOOOO!!!"_ Pearl cried as the machine shook violently.

"Joel!" Mike shouted. "Get out of there!" 

Joel ran out from behind the machine and joined Damien and Mike. Sparks flew out of the Mammon Machine.

"Run!" Damien yelled. "It's gonna blow!"

The three took off running. None of them looked back, even when the Mammon Machine exploded and burst into flames. The entire fortress began to shake. 

Damien extended his hand to Mike. "We don't have much time. Give me your pendant."

Mike took the pendant out of his pocket and gave it to Damien. Damien pressed Mike's pendant against the one he was wearing. A blue portal materialized in front of him.

"Let's go!" Damien jumped into the portal. Mike and Joel went in after him. The portal vanished behind the three just seconds before the once mighty fortress exploded in flames.


	20. Chapter 20

Festival workers scrambled through Leene Square with various pieces of machinery as Joel, Mike, and Damien headed to the Vallant residence. They were setting up for the final night of the Millennial   
Fair, which was the next night.Mike watched the festival workers with a melancholy feeling. The end   
of the Millennial Fair meant that he would have to leave Guardia Kingdom. 

Joel knocked on the Vallants' front door. Mike also knew that leaving Guardia Kingdom would mean leaving Joel behind, and that was something he did not want to think about.

Lucca opened the door and gasped. "I never thought you guys would come back alive."

"It's all because we worked as a team," Damien said. "I used to work alone, but these two have taught me the importance of comrades." Damien turned to Joel and Mike and smiled. "Thank you."

Joel and Mike stared blankly at Damien. They weren't sure which was more startling: getting thanked by Damien or the fact that he was smiling.

Lucca smiled. "See? Friends are everything. Come on in."   
***  
"And then what?!" Servo asked excitedly as he edged closer to the couch. The `bots were all crowded around Joel and were eagerly listening to the details of the final battle.

"Pearl and Damien had the same power," Joel explained. "It was going nowhere, so I realized that I had to disable the Mammon Machine if we were going to get anywhere."

Mike looked up and realized that Damien had left the room. He rose from his recliner and headed for the front door. He knew where Damien had gone. Mike left the house and headed for the alley where   
he had previously spoken to Damien. 

As Mike had expected, Damien was standing in front of the river. Damien was staring off into space. 

"Hey," Mike said as he walked towards Damien.

Damien looked at Mike, and then back in front of him. "I'm going back to my own time. I'm going to help the Earthbound Ones finish rebuilding, and then live there myself."

"You don't want to stay here?" Mike asked.

"I do not belong here." Damien looked down at the ground. "Schala would have wanted to help rebuild the village, too."

"I don't want to leave," said Mike. 

Damien nodded. "I know. It was obvious from the start." 

"Huh?" Mike asked, confused.

"You climbed Death Peak for him." Damien turned to Mike and stared into his eyes. "You refused to let him go alone in the fortress. Joel is to you what Schala was to me."

Mike's jaw dropped. Suddenly, everything he had felt made sense. He remembered the anguish of watching Joel die, how he and Joel had relied on one another, and how determined he was to climb Death Peak to save Joel. Joel had once told him that he had his own reasons for wanting to go with Mike. Could it be...?

"I am certain he feels the same for you," Damien continued. "You told me about how he took care of you after you fell from the bridge. He also took that hit from Lavos to protect you. Now…could I borrow your pendant for a moment?”

Mike nodded and wordlessly handed the pendant to Damien, who pressed the jewel of his pendant against Mike’s, summoning a blue time portal. He then handed Mike’s pendant back to him.

“Perhaps someday, something I do in my time will be written in history books. But that is not for me to know. Goodbye.”   
With that, Damien jumped into the time portal, which then vanished behind him.  
***  
"Joel!" Lucca called from the front door. "The castle mechanics want to see you."

Joel looked down at the `bots. "Sorry, guys, I have to go. I'll tell you the rest later."

"PLEEEEEEAAAASSSEE???" chorused the `bots. 

"Of course," Joel said, smiling. "I'll be back later."

Lucca led Joel into Leene Square. Several mechanics were having trouble with the final act of the Millennial Fair. 

"They want your help," Lucca said before running off.

Joel walked to one of the machines and inspected it. Once he found the problem, he opened up the machine with a Phillips screwdriver and pulled out the faulty circuit. 

"Hey!" one of the castle mechanics called out. "How'd you do that?"

"Simple," Joel replied. "It was a faulty circuit."

"Are you a mechanic?" another mechanic called out. 

Joel shook his head. "No, I'm a janitor."

"Is the King crazy? One we get these all fixed up, we're gonna ask him to make you a full-time mechanic. You can live in one of the houses that the castle workers get.”

"Not bad," said Joel, grinning. "Let's finish this up."  
***  
Mike thought about what Damien had said as he went back to the Vallant residence. Everything Damien said was true. Mike had been stifling his feelings for Joel though the entire time.

The `bots were asleep on the living room floor. Mike picked up Servo and placed him on the couch. He placed a pillow under Servo's head. 

Mike then carried Cambot upstairs to his room. He placed Cambot on the floor before going back downstairs.

When Mike got downstairs, he picked up Gypsy and carried her upstairs to Joel's room. He put her on the floor before going downstairs to put Crow to bed.

Suddenly, the front door opened. "I'm back!" Joel called.

Mike ran over to see Joel. Joel's clothes were covered in oil, grime, and soot.

"Guess what, Mike," Joel asked, his face beaming.

"Uh...you got a promotion?" Mike inquired. 

"Did I ever!" Joel smiled. "I'm now a full-time mechanic at Guardia Castle. That means I to live in one of the houses given to castle employees from now on.”

"That's awesome!" Mike shouted.

"I just have one question," Joel said. "Will you be my roommate?" 

Mike beamed. "Of course I will! I was hoping you'd ask that! What about the `bots?"

"They'll live with us, too," Joel replied.

"That's wonderful!" Mike cried. "I'd hug you, but you're dirty."

Joel laughed. "No problem. There's plenty of time for that later. All you have to do is move your stuff in. It's pre-furnished."

"Sweet!" Mike said as he clasped his hands.

"I'm taking a shower, then going to bed," Joel stated. "Let's go to the last night of the Millennial Fair together."  
***  
Joel and Mike spent the morning moving their stuff into Joel's new house. They stood in the den talking. 

"Well, you have a new house, a new roommate, and a new life," Joel told Mike. "You have everything you want." 

"Not everything," Mike said as he walked over to Joel and placed his arms around him. Joel returned the gesture and wrapped his arms around Mike. They both gazed longingly into one another's eyes before   
their lips met.

The kiss consummated everything they had felt since the day they met. They were lost in a fleeting bliss, almost nirvana, until they had to break the kiss to breathe.

There were several moments of complete silence until Joel finally asked, "How are we gonna tell the `bots?"

"We'll worry about that as soon as we all move in," Mike replied. "We'll sit down and talk to them, and answer any questions they may have. Though…I imagine it’ll take them some getting used to.”

Joel nodded. "You're right. Let's go back and take them to the fair."  
***  
The machines that Joel had worked on were spinning around shooting out fireworks. Lucca, Taban, and Lara were sitting on a bench, drinking lemonade and watching the fireworks. Several rythymic   
dancers were dancing on each side of the square, their elaborate costumes swaying in maelstroms of color. 

While the ‘bots were distracted by the show, Joel and Mike sat down on a bench in a quieter area. The fireworks were visible above them. 

"I'm keeping my pendant, no matter what," Mike stated. "I want to hold onto my family for as long as I can."

Joel nodded in understanding. "I bought you something today." He handed Mike a ring box. 

Mike smiled. "That reminds me; I bought you something too." Mike reached into his pocket and took out the ring box. He gave it to Joel. 

Joel and Mike opened their ring boxes and looked at one another's ring. They had both bought the same silver band. 

Joel stifled a laugh, then smiled. "This is perfect." 

"I agree," Mike said as he put the ring on. 

Joel put his new ring on and held it against Mike's. Their hands, and their rings, looked so perfect together.

"We have a new life ahead of us," said Joel. "Let's face it together."

"Yeah, together," Mike said before gently kissing Joel.


End file.
